After more than a year in “the epicenter of climate change,” the largest polar expedition ever, is over. What remains is a wealth of data yet to be analyzed.
The famous icebreaker Polarstern is safely moored again in its home port: the German city of Bremerhaven. And what a journey the researchers have been on! They can look back on an exciting and record-breaking expedition. Because never before had there been an icebreaker near the North Pole in winter. And never before have international scientists been able to collect so extensively urgently needed climate data in the world’s worst affected region.
Scientists aboard the icebreaker Polarstern left for the North Pole in October 2019 with a somewhat curious goal: get stuck in the Arctic sea ice and let themselves be carried away defenseless by the sea currents. For a year, the researchers would float on board the Polarstern in the Arctic Ocean – anchored to the sea ice – collecting data on the polar regions and sea ice floes. The purpose of the expedition – which bears the name Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAIC) – is to achieve better climate and weather forecasting. The consequences of climate change are especially clearly visible in the Arctic; a region that is warming twice as fast as the rest of the earth. Scientists therefore left with an important mission to this icy region: to research climate change in the Arctic, the consequences of the disappearance of the sea ice, the atmosphere and the local ecosystem.–
For a year scientists, at the mercy of natural forces, conducted research in ‘the epicenter of climate change’. And that is crucial to better understand how the climate system on Earth is doing and how it is currently changing. The scientists studied the complex interactions in the climate system between the atmosphere, the ice and the ocean. “Climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity,” says German politician Anja Karliczek. “A challenge that we can only overcome together. The greatest polar expedition of all time represents a historic milestone for climate research. Because only by understanding how the climate in the Arctic is changing can we take appropriate preventive measures against climate impacts and combat climate change effectively. ”
Worryingly simple
During the Polarstern’s long voyage, the scientists made some worrying observations. For example, they reached their final destination – the North Pole – worryingly simple. The journey through Fam Street – a strait between Greenland and Svalbard – to the North Pole took only six days. The sea ice was thin and porous, allowing the icebreaker to cut its way through with ease and at considerable speed. “We have seen how the polar ice is dying,” said expedition leader Markus Rex. “Summer, even at the North Pole, is characterized by melt and erosion. If we don’t immediately make significant efforts to combat climate change, we will soon see ice-free Arctic summers, which will have invaluable consequences for our own weather and climate. ” Moreover, the expedition leader has already seen major changes. “While the Central Arctic still has a fascinating frozen landscape in winter today, the ice is only half as thick as it was 40 years ago,” he says. “Winter temperatures were also almost always ten degrees higher than what Fridtjof Nansen experienced during his pioneering Arctic expedition more than 125 years ago.”
The polar tern in sea ice. On the way north, the sea ice is surprisingly weak and the scientists encounter many melting ponds. Image: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Steffen Graupner
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It is very disturbing that Arctic sea ice is withering so quickly. After all, arctic sea ice is not only an important part of the global climate system, it is also a unique ecosystem and the basis of life for many indigenous societies. “It’s also an area of fascinating and unparalleled beauty,” says Rex. Still, things don’t look good at the moment. This is how the Arctic sea ice reached not so long ago its minimal size. And it shows that the sea ice now only covers an area of 3.74 million square kilometers – the second lowest sea ice minimum in 42 years. “We must do everything we can to preserve this sea ice for future generations,” said Rex.
Extremes
Polarstern’s expedition was a journey of extremes. Drifting with the ice, the researchers endured extreme cold, Arctic storms, a constantly changing ice floe and challenges posed by the corona pandemic. Nevertheless, the scientists look back on their journey with a good feeling. Because we have managed to map the epicenter of climate change more accurately than ever before over a period of one year. “I am very pleased with the progress of the expedition and what a great success it has been,” says Rex. “The expedition will enable us to provide climate data and observations that humanity so urgently needs to make fundamental and important political decisions to protect our climate.”
The largest polar expedition ever produced an unparalleled wealth of yet to be analyzed data that will now be the focus of a whole generation of climate researchers. In this way, we will gain a better understanding of the ‘new’ Arctic and more insight into exactly what has changed in the last ten years. And that is fundamental to our understanding of what lies ahead for the Arctic in the future.
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