Preparations for international Arctic Century Expedition in Kiel

The Arctic Century Expedition was jointly organized and prepared by the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI), the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) and GEOMAR in Kiel. From Germany, scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research are also taking part of the expedition. It is designed as a multidisciplinary research cruise focusing on otherwise rarely visited regions in the Kara and Laptev Seas, as well as Franz Josef Land and Sewernaja Semlja in the western Arctic.

“There is hardly no other region in the world where climate change is progressing as fast as here. On site, we want to study the effects on the sensitive environmental system of the Arctic. To this end, we will carry out an extensive multidisciplinary work programme. What is special here is the combination of terrestrial, glaciological, marine and meteorological studies, because during this expedition we will not only be working on the high seas, but also on barely explored island of the Arctic”, explains Dr. Kassens.

The expedition officially starts in Murmansk (Russia) at the beginning of August. After a few days of transit, the first scientific stations in the Kara Sea should be reached. After that, an extensive terrestrial and glaciological work programme is planned on the archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Sewernaja Semlja. The marine work programme will focus on key areas in the Saint Anna Trough, the continental margin of the Kara Sea, and the central Kara Sea. The expedition will return to Murmansk in early September. Participants will blog about their work and experiences in the Arctic.