Scientists launch $23 million Arctic mission to uncover what's hidden beneath the ice: 'We have basically no information'
A drifting science station designed for research in the Arctic is scheduled to carry out 10 successive missions from 2025 to 2046, where it will remain stuck in the ice for 90% of its expedition time.
It's an alternative to more traditional ice camps that have to battle dangerous conditions in the rapidly warming region.
In what's being called "an unprecedented scientific and human adventure at the North Pole," the $23 million Tara Polar Station will be the home of a team of 18 people made up of scientists, artists, physicians, journalists, and sailors.
The mission of this drifting science station is to gather data and perform research during the period from November to February, a part of the year that lacks observations because of the dangers inherent in a region of the world that is warming faster than anywhere else.
"We have basically no information," Tara Ocean Foundation's Chris Bowler told New Scientist. "Which is alarming, considering it is such a fragile place and it is changing so rapidly."
The Tara Ocean Foundation is focusing on the Arctic because the changes that occur there have global impacts. The French nongovernmental organization wants to analyze "the consequences of melting sea ice and pollution on these unique and fragile ecosystems."
The research performed at the Tara Polar Station is also aimed at "discovering new molecules/species/processes with new potential applications" and "improving knowledge of biodiversity on Earth by exploring regions inaccessible today."
It will take a tough team to board the vessel, which is being built to handle temperatures as cold as nearly minus-60 degrees Fahrenheit.
"The people we select need to be psychologically very sound," according to Bowler. "They need to be strong, because it's pretty hostile — you are at the extremes of what humans can withstand in these conditions."
"The inspiration was really to build a shelter that could shelter scientists through the polar night, through an entire season in the Arctic," he added. "We expect to develop Tara Polar Station like an international facility, that scientists can apply to use."
Do you think America could ever go zero-waste?
Never
Not anytime soon
Maybe in some states
Definitely
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Studying what is happening in the Arctic is vital since some scientists consider it the "canary in the coal mine" when it comes to the impacts of a warming world.
The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the Earth's average. In March 2025, the Arctic's sea ice extent was the lowest on record for the month, according to NOAA's March global climate report. The region's sea ice winter maximum extent happened on March 22 and was also the lowest on record.
Significant projected rises in sea levels could dramatically alter coastlines. If one of the worst-case scenarios plays out, some coastal counties in North Carolina would be underwater. The Florida Keys and portions of Miami would also be submerged.
In order to lessen the impacts of an overheating planet on the Arctic, we need to embrace renewable energy sources and move away from dirty fuels.
On an individual basis, that could include installing solar panels, replacing an old HVAC system with a heat pump, or choosing an electric vehicle for your next car purchase.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Russian scientists discover a new island in the Caspian Sea — the world's largest inland body of water
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A new island has appeared in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, a Russian research expedition has confirmed. The island, which does not have a name yet, is located 19 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of another island called Maly Zhemchuzhny, according to a translated statement published by the Russian state-owned news agency TASS. The island is only slightly elevated above the water level, and its surface was damp and mostly flat but covered in sand ridges at the time of the expedition, the statement said. The new island emerged due to a drop in the Caspian Sea's water levels, Stepan Podolyako, a senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences' P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (IO RAS) who was on the expedition, wrote in a statement shared with Live Science. The Caspian Sea, which lies at the junction between Europe and Asia, is the largest inland body of water in the world when measured by its surface area of 143,200 square miles (371,000 square kilometers). "The occurrence of new islands in the Caspian Sea is associated with cyclical processes of long-term fluctuations in the level of [these] landlocked waters," Podolyako wrote in the statement. "Awash islands are uplifts on the seabed that come to the surface during periods of falling sea level." The Caspian Sea's levels fell during the 1930s and 1970s before bouncing back — and they started dropping again around 2010, Podolyako said. Related: Surprised Russian school kids discover Arctic island has vanished after comparing satellite images Climate change may be to blame for the recent decline, because the Caspian Sea's water levels partly depend on evaporation rates, Podolyako said. There are also tectonic shifts happening beneath the sea, which could explain changes in water levels, he added. Scientists first spotted signs of the new island in satellite images in November 2024. A pile of sand and sediment had breached the surface of the water and was beginning to dry, according to the statement in TASS — but the claim that a new island was forming remained somewhat controversial. During the recent expedition, researchers managed to approach the island to confirm its existence, but they were unable to land due to bad weather and shallow water conditions. Photographs taken from a drone revealed the island's size and some of its features, but further research is needed to describe it thoroughly. RELATED STORIES —New island that emerged from the ocean off Japan is now visible from space —Melting ice in Antarctica reveals new uncharted island —Newly discovered island is the closest land to the North Pole "A next visit to the island is planned [...] in the second half of 2025," Podolyako said. A decision about the official name of the island will then be made, depending on whether researchers find any notable characteristics to name it after. Otherwise, the island could be named after a person who has made significant scientific or cultural contributions in the area, Podolyako said. The island currently sits just inches above water level, but that could change with declining river flows into the Caspian Sea in the summer and fall, according to the statement in TASS. This may lower water levels around the island and increase its elevation.
Bloomberg
3 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Natural Disasters May Be Shaping Babies' Brains
Climate disasters are known for damaging homes, disrupting power and displacing residents. But even after the lights come back on and people return to their homes, their effects can linger — including in the brains of children born afterwards, a new study suggests. Climate stressors, and the effect they have on pregnant people, appear to affect the brain development of their babies, according to the study published in PLOS One on Wednesday, which relied on brain imaging conducted years after 2012's Superstorm Sandy hit the New York City metro area.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Greenland ice melted much faster than average in May heatwave: scientists
Greenland's ice sheet melted 17 times faster than the past average during a May heatwave that also hit Iceland, the scientific network World Weather Attribution (WWA) said in a report Wednesday. The Arctic region is on the frontline of global warming, heating up four times faster than the rest of the planet since 1979, according to a 2022 study in scientific journal Nature. "The melting rate of the Greenland ice sheet by, from a preliminary analysis, a factor of 17... means the Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise is higher than it would have otherwise been without this heat wave," one of the authors of the report, Friederike Otto, told reporters. "Without climate change this would have been impossible," said Otto, an associate professor in climate science at the Imperial College London. The data from the May 15-21, 2025 heatwave was compared to the average ice melt for the same week during the period 1980-2010. In Iceland, the temperature exceeded 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) on May 15, unprecedented for that time of year on the subarctic island. "Temperatures over Iceland as observed this May are record-breaking, more than 13 degrees Celsius hotter than the 1991-2020 average May daily maximum temperatures," the WWA said. In May, 94 percent of Iceland's weather stations registered record temperatures, according to the country's meteorological institute. In eastern Greenland, the hottest day during the heatwave was about 3.9C warmer compared to the preindustrial climate, the WWA said. "While a heatwave that is around 20 degrees Celsius might not sound like an extreme event from the experience of most people around the world, it is a really big deal for this part of the world," Otto said. "It affects the whole world massively," she said. According to the WWA, the record highs observed in Iceland and Greenland this May could reoccur every 100 years. For Greenland's indigenous communities, the warmer temperatures and melting ice affect their ability to hunt on the ice, posing a threat to their livelihood and traditional way of life. The changes also affect infrastructure in the two countries. "In Greenland and Iceland, infrastructure is built for cold weather, meaning during a heatwave ice melt can lead to flooding and damage roads and infrastructure," the WWA said. In Greenland, the higher temperatures coupled with heavy rainfall can have numerous consequences on nature. In 2022, higher temperatures caused the permafrost to thaw, releasing iron and other metals into numerous Arctic lakes, it said. Health and hygiene can also be affected, as rural Greenlandic households often lack sewage systems. cbw/po/giv
