On Monday, the German icebreaker “Polarstern” returned to Bremerhaven after the largest and most expensive expedition to the North Pole so far.
Rasmus Tonboe, a sea ice researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), was on board the first stage of the trip.
Among other things, he was to collect data on the distribution, thickness and temperature of sea ice.
These are data used to calculate climate models and weather forecasts.
“Polarstern” followed in the wake of the ship “Fram” with the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen.
In 1893, Nansen tried to reach the North Pole by letting “Fram” freeze in the ice in the Arctic and then drift with the current towards its goal.
The “Polarstern” expedition was to last 13 months, during which the icebreaker was to drift with the same ice floe across the Arctic Ocean.
– But the ice drifted faster than intended. So after ten months, the ship drifted out of the Arctic Ocean because the ice on which the ship had settled broke up and melted.
– So “Polarstern” had to sail back to the North Pole, lay down for a new flag and operate the last months the expedition was planned for, Rasmus Tonboe explains.
When the ship drifted faster than expected, it was according to the researcher because the sea ice has become thinner.
It is a result of climate change, which according to the sea ice researcher is clearly seen at those latitudes.
– When I left, it was winter, and then it was cold and dark. But especially in the autumn and spring months, you can see that changes are taking place, says Rasmus Tonboe.
The leader of the expedition, Markus Rex, has called the Arctic Ocean “dying” for the news agency AFP.
This is not an exaggeration, says Rasmus Tonboe.
– Over the last 40 years, it has gone back with the sea ice. It breaks up earlier and freezes up later. So the season with open water has become longer.
– When the sea ice melts, more sunlight is absorbed into the water. This makes the water warmer and melts even more sea ice.
– So it has a self-reinforcing effect, he says.
Rasmus Tonboe predicts that within the next 20 to 30 years we will see ice-free summers in the Arctic.
– The ice cover that was otherwise there all year round and could withstand the melting of the summer will disappear – at least some summers.
– So you can say that this is the place on the planet where you see the effect of global warming most clearly, he says.
The mission has cost 140 million euros or over a billion Danish kroner.
On board the “Polarstern” there have been scientists from more than 20 countries.
Among other things, he was to collect data on the distribution, thickness and temperature of sea ice.
These are data used to calculate climate models and weather forecasts.
“Polarstern” followed in the wake of the ship “Fram” with the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen.
In 1893, Nansen tried to reach the North Pole by letting “Fram” freeze in the ice in the Arctic and then drift with the current towards its goal.
The “Polarstern” expedition was to last 13 months, during which the icebreaker was to drift with the same ice floe across the Arctic Ocean.
– But the ice drifted faster than intended. So after ten months, the ship drifted out of the Arctic Ocean because the ice on which the ship had settled broke up and melted.
– So “Polarstern” had to sail back to the North Pole, lay down for a new flag and operate the last months the expedition was planned for, Rasmus Tonboe explains.
When the ship drifted faster than expected, it was according to the researcher because the sea ice has become thinner.
It is a result of climate change, which according to the sea ice researcher is clearly seen at those latitudes.
– When I left, it was winter, and then it was cold and dark. But especially in the autumn and spring months, you can see that changes are taking place, says Rasmus Tonboe.
The leader of the expedition, Markus Rex, has called the Arctic Ocean “dying” for the news agency AFP.
This is not an exaggeration, says Rasmus Tonboe.
– Over the last 40 years, it has gone back with the sea ice. It breaks up earlier and freezes up later. So the season with open water has become longer.
– When the sea ice melts, more sunlight is absorbed into the water. This makes the water warmer and melts even more sea ice.
– So it has a self-reinforcing effect, he says.
Rasmus Tonboe predicts that within the next 20 to 30 years we will see ice-free summers in the Arctic.
– The ice cover that was otherwise there all year round and could withstand the melting of the summer will disappear – at least some summers.
– So you can say that this is the place on the planet where you see the effect of global warming most clearly, he says.
The mission has cost 140 million euros or over a billion Danish kroner.
On board the “Polarstern” there have been scientists from more than 20 countries.
Source: The Nordic Page