YOPP Science Workshop 2020

Photo: Thea Schneider (University of Potsdam)

On 17 and 18 February 2020, the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) Science Workshop 2020 takes place at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Germany. More than forty international experts will discuss scientific advances resulting from the various international activities within YOPP with the ultimate goal to improve accuracy of weather and sea-ice forecasts in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Currently, the polar regions are lacking observational data. This large observational gap in the Arctic and Antarctic has implications to the polar weather and sea-ice forecasts’ accuracy which is, however, of rising interest for e.g., the tourism or shipping industries that only wait in the starting blocks to expand their polar activities, responding to the ongoing Arctic sea-ice melt and other climate-related changes at high latitudes.

For two days, experts from international research institutes and operational forecasting centers convene in Bremerhaven to evaluate and discuss where additional observational data can help improving weather and sea-ice forecasts, how components in a forecast model can be arranged so that it closest reflects reality, and how verification activities should be set up to better assess how closely a forecast has resembled the actual weather pattern.

The users of polar weather and sea-ice forecast will be focus of an evening event at the German Maritime Museum on 17 February. During a panel discussion on ‘Decision-Making and Polar Prediction’, RV Polarstern captains Thomas Wunderlich and Moritz Langhinrichs, MOSAiC coordinator Markus Rex, and managing director of the company Drift+Noise Lasse Rabenstein will discuss what it needs to safely navigate a research vessel through sea-ice, and which potential forecast services would support decision-making during polar operations in the future.

The Science Workshop will be followed by the 11th Polar Prediction Project (PPP) Steering Group meeting from 19 to 21 February 2020 when PPP Steering Group members will discuss on the strategic agenda-setting for the Polar Prediction Project in the upcoming years, with a special focus on the project’s legacy and key activities to be organized and carried out from now until the end of 2022.

The agenda for the YOPP Science Workshop can be found here. For following the workshop online, please send an email to office@polarprediction.net.

Venue and Travel

Venue

The YOPP Science Workshop 2020 will take place at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research's (AWI) Building F in Bremerhaven, Germany. 

The address is:

Alfred Wegener Institute
Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Building F
Bussestrasse 24
27570 Bremerhaven
Germany

See it on Google Maps.

How to get there?

The closest airports are:

  • Airport Bremen
  • Airport Hamburg
  • Airport Hannover

Via Bremen Airport:

The closest airport is Bremen Airport, which is about 70 km away from Bremerhaven. Bremen Airport is connected by Tram No. 6 to the Bremen main railway station (Hauptbahnhof), the trip takes ca. 20 min. Regional trains connect Bremen Hauptbahnhof with Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof two times an hour. The train ride takes between 30 (Regionalexpress) and 45 (NordWestBahn) minutes. The last trains to Bremerhaven leaves Bremen Hauptbahnhof at 21:56 and 23:12.

Via Hamburg Airport:

Hamburg Airport is connected to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof by metro, the trip takes about 30 min. The train from Hamburg to Bremerhaven will take about 2 hours with change in Bremen Hauptbahnhof. The last train with connection to Bremerhaven leaves Hamburg at 22:46.

Via Hannover Airport:

Hannover Airport is connected to Hannover Hauptbahnhof by Tram No. 5. The ride takes about 20 min. A train driving directly from Hannover to Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof leaves Hannover every second hour, the ride takes about 2 hours. The last direct train departs from Hannover at 20:20.

We recommend when booking the flight tickets to ask your travel agency for the Rail&Fly ticket of Deutsche Bahn. It is available for some airlines and allows you to use the trains and public transportation at arrival and departure between arrival airport and your actual destination (Bremerhaven).

From Bremerhaven train station (Hauptbahnhof) to AWI

AWI's building F is within 20 minutes walking distance from Bremerhaven train station. In case you prefer not to walk, a bus takes you from Bremerhaven train station to AWI where the workshop takes place (link to google maps). During the day, busses are leaving every 30 minutes to bus station "Bremerhaven Weserfähre" and every 15 minutes to bus station "Columbusstrasse/Weserfähre" which are close by. For more information please visit https://en.vbn.de/.

From Bremerhaven train station (Hauptbahnhof) to city center (hotels)

A bus takes you from Bremerhaven train station into the city center where most hotels are located. During the day, busses are leaving every 30 minutes to bus station "Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum" and every 10 minutes to bus station "Hochschule Bremerhaven" which is close by. For more information please visit https://en.vbn.de/.

Hotels:

There are a few hotels within walking distance to the meeting place:

Food and Restaurants:

The workshop location is at the river side of Bremerhaven town center where many restaurants, snack bars etc. are located within walking distance.

For any other question, please do not hesitate to contact us via office@polarprediction.net.

Guidelines and Information for Presenters

  • The talks during the YOPP Science Workshop are scheduled for 15 minutes (12' for presentation and 3' for discussion).
  • Presentation slides can be prepared in powerpoint or pdf format.
  • Please upload your presentation prior to the day of your presentation into a dedicated Dropbox folder by following this upload link (preferred), or you bring a USB stick to upload it at the registration desk. Make sure your presentation is uploaded in the morning of the day of your presentation. Please include your last name and the talk's title in the file name. If you need to upload a revised version, please use the same file name but add „_revised“ at the end (ahead of the suffix).

Icebreaker

In the evening of the first workshop day, Monday, 17 February, we will have an icebreaker. The reception will take place at Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum (https://www.dsm.museum/) which is within walking distance from AWI.

Address:

Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum
Hans-Scharoun-Platz 1
27568 Bremerhaven
Germany