Studies at the Top of the World

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September 1, 2005

Two Institution scientists spent the past six weeks crossing the Arctic Ocean from Barrow, Alaska, to Svalbard, Norway, onboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden, which has been working with the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy to collect data about the stratigraphy of Arctic Ocean water masses, dominant physical and chemical processes, and response to change of Arctic Ocean waters, including the distribution of industrial chemicals. The pan-Arctic cruise was part of the Swedish polar expedition Beringia 2005 and involved more than 100 scientists from Sweden, Russia, Canada, and the United States. The two ships reached the North Pole September 12; Arctic sea ice cover was heavy during much of the cruise.