Researchers Embark on Longest Arctic Expedition in History
By: Payton Martinez
Climate change is fundamentally reshaping the Arctic. For decades, there has been a progressive, year-by-year decline in both the thickness and extent of Arctic sea ice. This dramatic change not only impacts weather and climate in the northern hemisphere as a whole, it also fuels the type of economic development in the region that is capable of perpetuating climate change patterns worldwide. Still, the Arctic remains one of the least understood habitats on earth. However, as alarming climate-change-related trends become increasingly apparent in the Arctic, the international community is making efforts to learn more about combating these climatic variations.
In September of 2019, the largest and longest polar expedition in history embarked. The 600-person strong Arctic expedition named the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) began on September 20th. The importance of MOSAiC’s expedition cannot be overstated—it will be the first major expedition in the Arctic, a region that is thawing at a rate that exceeds global averages by double. This expedition is a 12-month, $134 million, 19-nation effort with the goal of documenting and better understanding of climate change in the region and improving weather-related predictive capabilities.
MOSAiC’s 600 researchers, technicians and crew members, which include meteorologists, biologists, oceanographers, and ice experts, will operate out of long-term observation stations on the Arctic sea ice. Those participating in this expedition will face demanding conditions. Researchers will be without internet and phone service; they will work seven days a week, only receiving free time at the discretion of research coordinators; and “those on duty from December to February will never see the sun.”
Over the course of a year, MOSAiC’s international team of experts will observe all elements of the Arctic climate, including the atmosphere, sea ice, ocean, ecosystem, and biogeochemical processes. The expansive scope of this expedition required significant preparation. Pre-expedition, atmospheric scientists were taught to dig snow pits; microbiologists were trained to identify ice types; all participants were required to learn how to ride a snowmobile; etc. At the end of the year-long expedition, MOSAiC aims to “provide a more robust scientific basis for policy decisions on climate change mitigation and adaptation and for setting up a framework for managing Arctic development sustainably.”
Aside from the important work MOSAiC is slated to conduct, the international effort that has gone into the project thus far is also significant and may signal increased international cooperation on the climate change front. The success of MOSAiC’s expedition hinges on this international cooperation. MOSAiC’s own website states that the policy for data collection during the expedition is based on a spirit of international cooperation, which all expedition participants expressly agree to adhere to.
MOSAiC’s home base will be a German icebreaker named the Polarstern, with four additional icebreakers from China, Russia, and Sweden operating as resupply vessels. Japan has built flux chambers to measure the carbon that moves from the sea ice to the atmosphere. A Swiss team has developed the equipment necessary to sample snow. American agencies, including the National Science Foundation, have contributed more than $25 million in grants, equipment, and logistical support.
Researchers onboard the MOSAiC hope that the data collected in the course of this expedition will be used for decades to come. Beginning January 1, 2023, all MOSAiC data will become freely available for everyone on the planet to access. If all goes as expected MOSAiC’s expedition will likely clarify our understanding of the Arctic, help improve climate change models, inform economic, international, and environmental policies, and ultimately help mitigate the most extreme consequences of climate change.