17 February 2026 / Kiel / Las Palmas. Yesterday, an international team of researchers from various disciplines set off aboard the German research vessel METEOR for an expedition along the west coast of Africa, led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The expedition focuses on two poorly understood phenomena: the Benguela upwelling system off the coasts of Angola and Namibia, which partly operates independently of the wind, and the recurring marine heatwaves known as Benguela Niños, which have a significant impact on the local climate and cause flooding in Angola and Namibia.