An entire year trapped in the Arctic ice
MOSAiC - Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate
It could be the largest-scale Arctic research expedition of all time: In September 2019, the German research icebreaker Polarstern departed from Tromsø (Norway) and, once it had reached its destination, will spend the next year drifting through the Arctic Ocean, trapped in the ice. A total of 600 people, who will be supplied by other icebreakers and aircraft, will participate in the expedition – and several times that number of researchers will subsequently use the data gathered to take climate and ecosystem research to the next level. More than 70 research institutions from 20 countries are involved in the expedition. The mission is spearheaded by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).
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MOSAiC: The largest Central Arctic expedition ever
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MOSAiC MOOC
Your computer is now a portal to the North Pole: Explore one of the most mysterious regions on Earth from the comfort of your own home with a new massive open online course (MOOC) featuring short lectures by researchers about their work, stunning footage from the icebreakers Polarstern and Akademik Fedorov, 360° videos and more. More than three dozen MOSAiC scientists and Arctic experts summarize the core of their research during the MOSAiC expedition. The course is offered through the platform Coursera, and also viewable
MOSAiC expedition
MOSAiC aerial survey campaigns for the atmosphere and sea ice temporarily suspended
The MOSAiC project management decided to temporarily suspend the aerial survey campaigns planned for this spring and based in the Svalbard archipelago due to the highly dynamic development of the corona pandemic. There are currently three icebreakers underway in the Central Arctic for the MOSAiC expedition.
Two New Records at the North Pole
For days, fast sea ice had slowed the progress of the resupply icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn; bound for the North Pole, her mission was to support the second exchange of researchers and crew in the MOSAiC expedition. Nevertheless, she steadily drew closer to her destination, and finally, at 12:20 pm (CET) on Friday, 28 February, dropped anchor 970 metres from Polarstern, moored to the same floe. While the handover is in full swing on the MOSAiC floe, in Russia another icebreaker will soon leave port in order to supply Kapitan Dranitsyn with additional fuel on her return trip.