science
First Arctic Ocean 2050 Expedition at the North Pole: Strikingly Little Ice
The first expedition for the research programme Arctic Ocean 2050 encountered less sea ice than expected and reached the North Pole several days ahead of schedule. “We hardly broke any ice at all,” says expedition leader Paul Dodd.
Published
Modified
On 23 July, the research vessel Kronprins Haakon departed from the quay in Longyearbyen for a 50-day expedition as part of the research programme Arctic Ocean 2050 [Polhavet 2050].
On board are around 30 researchers who will collect physical, chemical and biological data that will provide new knowledge about the Arctic Ocean.
On Friday, the expedition reached the North Pole.
"There is less ice than we expected, so we arrived at the North Pole four days earlier than planned," says expedition leader Paul Dodd at the Norwegian Polar Institute in a press release.
"For the most part, we were able to sail in open waters around the ice floes. We hardly broke any ice at all," he elaborates.
Examining the entire ecosystem
At the North Pole, the researchers took samples of the ice and what lives on and beneath it.
Through the Arctic Ocean 2050 collaboration, which brings together 18 Norwegian research institutions, the researchers have brought new specialised equipment. Among other things, they have a camera that can take high-resolution images of the smallest animals and plants that live in the ice - zooplankton and phytoplankton.
"Then we can see how the food chains in the ice change when the type of ice becomes different and temperatures rise," says Dodd.
The Arctic Ocean 2050 programme seeks to provide a better knowledge base for the future management of the Arctic.
"The overall aim is to explain the consequences of the retreating ice with regard to both biodiversity and future human activity," the expedition leader points out.
After a day at the northernmost point on Earth, RV Kronprins Haakon set course westwards towards Canada. The expedition will go further west than any other Norwegian research voyage of this kind has done before.
