资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Two months long, the Russian research icebreaker “Akademik Treshnikov” provided the researchers with a valuable platform for studying the ocean, ice and atmosphere, as well as their interconnections, in the Barents Sea. During the expedition, which was organised by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St Petersburg, seven experts from German research institutes worked hand in hand with their Russian colleagues to explore the composition of the atmosphere and seawater, as well as the characteristics of the sea ice. The work was done not only on board the ship, but also in a camp set up on the sea ice in the immediate vicinity of the “Akademik Treshnikov”, which intentionally allowed itself to become trapped in the ice and subsequently drifted for 38 days, to the northwest of the archipelago Franz Joseph Land. 

Conducting research in drifting sea-ice camps is something that Russia has been doing for decades. However, due to climate change, the Arctic sea ice is no longer sufficiently reliable for this type of drift station. At the same time, gathering field data in the Central Arctic, and not just in the summer months, has become more important than ever. This is precisely where the AWI-led international drift expedition MOSAiC – in the course of which the German research icebreaker Polarstern will drift through the Central Arctic, trapped in the ice, for an entire year, from September 2019 – comes into play. Russia will be an essential partner in the project, both in terms of research, and in the form of the logistical support provided by its research and resupply icebreakers. Accordingly, the shared experience gathered during the TRANSARCTIC 2019 expedition is also a valuable preparation for MOSAiC, the greatest Arctic expedition in history.