Date

Call for Input
Arctic Ocean Data Collection Opportunity
The Dark Ice Project: North Pole in Winter by Boat, Drift, and Ski

Submission Deadline: Open Until Further Notice


The Dark Ice Project: North Pole in Winter by Boat, Drift and Ski invites requests for scientific data collection from the Arctic Ocean. This expedition to the North Pole, running from September 2018 to April 2019, will have equipment carrying capacity for environmental observations, planting of buoys and trackers, calibration of remote sensing, and basic sampling and analysis.

Three polar expeditioners will travel by boat at the ice minimum to the edge of pack ice, drift atop the ice in the boat for three months, and then ski 600 miles to the North Pole. All three phases, particularly while drifting, will provide a chance for the team to conduct a range of winter data collection.

The journey will begin in Inuvik, Canada in autumn 2017 by traversing the northern coast of Alaska to Barrow, Alaska. The team will analyze the current ice conditions and drift patterns before heading out onto the Arctic Ocean towards an insertion point in the pack ice. Measurements and observations can be made en route. Once winched onto the chosen ice floe, it will carry the team north before their ski phase in late 2017/early 2018, ending at the north pole.

This expedition offers:

  • Planting of drift trackers or buoys, seawater sampling and analysis, snow and weather measurements, marine fauna surveys, calibration of aerial or satellite datasets;
  • Carrying capacity for bringing equipment into the field and heated indoor space for on-site analysis and temporary storage of samples; and
  • A skilled and experienced team in the field, fully connected to scientific partners and committed to providing useful data in robust quantities.

Interested researchers should contact James Wheeldon.

For more information, go to:
http://bit.ly/2pHIIg1

For data requests or questions, contact:
James Wheeldon
Email: jcwheeldon [at] gmail.com
Phone: +44-79-44-77-7183