Background
The interface between art and science opens new frontiers and potentials for both fields, which can contribute to the genesis of inspiring art forms as well as offer innovative perspectives on knowledge production and dissemination. Scientists and artists alike work with ideas and hypotheses reflecting their understanding and various models of the world around them. Even if their methodologies are very different, both disciplines can question existing orders and realities. Yet, art and science cooperation are limited and barriers between these two worlds remain. Transdisciplinary approaches between art and science on a mutual level can help to bridge boundaries, overcome distrust, nurture progress in individual work, and create new insights into shared research interests. In order to offer a platform for the interplay between art and science, Pro Helvetia (Swiss Arts Council) and the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) have launched a joint initiative aiming at mediating partnerships between polar scientists and artists and supporting the exchange between the two communities. The goal of the programme is to enable dialogue and the exchange of ideas between polar science and art practice.The proposed format aims to support the cooperative process between disciplines and to create space for new collaborative and explorative practices.
Proposed formats of exchange: Polar scientist-artist tandems
The PolARTS programme will fund up to three transdisciplinary tandems composed of an artist and a polar scientist over a period of about eight months in order to enable mutual exchanges and facilitate interactions between art and science. The tandems will meet on a regular basis on different sites (laboratories, ateliers, scientific and artistic events and gatherings, etc.) and exchange on their research interest, professional activities, career perspectives, work background, etc. Each tandem is requested to propose a collaborative process over a period of approximately eight months, defining the format, the aims and the motivation of the participants. The tandem’s proposal has to engage with issues and topics linked to polar regions, the Arctic or Antarctic, or in remote high-altitude regions, the so-called “Third pole”, such as the Andes or the Himalaya. The overarching aim of the collaboration is to inspire each other across disciplinary boundaries and to promote mutual understanding by perceiving one’s own activity through the eyes of the tandem partner. A further aspect of the collaboration is to explore how new creative linkages can be created between the fields/worlds of science and art. This could either be explored by developing a common approachor by working side by side on existing projects, inspiring, challenging and supporting each other.
Deadline for applications: 30 January 2020, 14:00 (Swiss time)
Swiss Polar Institute
Posts mit dem Label Swiss Polar Institute werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label Swiss Polar Institute werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Mittwoch, 6. November 2019
Freitag, 28. Juni 2019
Press release: GLACE expedition postponed (7.6.2019)
The Swiss Polar Institute regrets to announce that it has not received the requested research permits from the Danish authorities within the necessary deadlines. The Swiss Polar Institute attaches great importance to working with the full support of local authorities. For this reason and given the uncertainty related to the permit delivery date, the Swiss Polar Institute has decided to postpone the GLACE expedition in order to secure all necessary permits and offer optimal conditions for the GLACE scientific expedition for the coming years. Further details will be communicated in due time.
Contact person for any related question from media: Danièle Rod, SPI Executive Director Contact person for any related question from the participating scientists: Samuel Jaccard, GLACE Chief Scientist
SPI
Contact person for any related question from media: Danièle Rod, SPI Executive Director Contact person for any related question from the participating scientists: Samuel Jaccard, GLACE Chief Scientist
SPI
Freitag, 6. Juli 2018
GreenLAnd Circumnavigation Expedition - GLACE (Call for Proposals)
The GreenLAnd Circumnavigation Expedition (GLACE) will offer an unprecedented complete circumnavigation of Greenland in a single expedition over a 2-month period in August and September 2019. The expedition will provide access to the remote and as yet critically understudied Northern Greenland area and provide a unique opportunity to investigate the marine, terrestrial, atmospheric, and cryospheric environments of the Arctic.
The R/V Akademic Tryoshnikov (AARI, St Petersburg) will be available for the expedition after a partial refit, offering a range of equipment and infrastructures. During the Northern Greenland section of the expedition the AT will be escorted by the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy.
As the ship will be steaming for around 20 hours each day, scientific sampling should be focused on continuous oceanographic and atmospheric (underway) sampling approaches, combined with terrestrial and cryospheric studies at several super-sites, with emphasis on Northern Greenland.
Proposals should be directed specifically to one of the subjects highlighted in the science plan. A combination of different subject areas into multi-disciplinary projects is also possible. Projects should include multiple sites and are encouraged to address broad and relevant scientific questions taking advantage of the entire journey.
Access to the vessel and its facilities (incl. helicopter time) will be free of charge for all teams selected by the scientific review panel, from the embarkation port onwards. International teams are invited to apply, provided they can cover their own logistics and science-related costs. Swiss-led projects will be eligible for additional funding of up to CHF 150’000 per project.
The scientific review panel will select up to 10 research projects from the submitted proposals. Deadline for submission is 10 September 2018 (12:00, Swiss time) (SPI)
Swiss Polar Institute SPI
GLACE
The R/V Akademic Tryoshnikov (AARI, St Petersburg) will be available for the expedition after a partial refit, offering a range of equipment and infrastructures. During the Northern Greenland section of the expedition the AT will be escorted by the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy.
As the ship will be steaming for around 20 hours each day, scientific sampling should be focused on continuous oceanographic and atmospheric (underway) sampling approaches, combined with terrestrial and cryospheric studies at several super-sites, with emphasis on Northern Greenland.
Proposals should be directed specifically to one of the subjects highlighted in the science plan. A combination of different subject areas into multi-disciplinary projects is also possible. Projects should include multiple sites and are encouraged to address broad and relevant scientific questions taking advantage of the entire journey.
Access to the vessel and its facilities (incl. helicopter time) will be free of charge for all teams selected by the scientific review panel, from the embarkation port onwards. International teams are invited to apply, provided they can cover their own logistics and science-related costs. Swiss-led projects will be eligible for additional funding of up to CHF 150’000 per project.
The scientific review panel will select up to 10 research projects from the submitted proposals. Deadline for submission is 10 September 2018 (12:00, Swiss time) (SPI)
Swiss Polar Institute SPI
GLACE
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| GLACE: Proposed travel plan and timing |
Samstag, 20. Januar 2018
Swiss Polar Day 2018 (ETH Zürich, 4. April 2018)
The Swiss Polar Day 2018 will gather the Swiss scientific community around international keynote speakers active in the Arctic, Antarctic and high-altitude regions. Following the Swiss Polar Institute’s Call for Ideas, the Swiss Polar Day will also be the opportunity to debate and give inputs into the preparation of a roadmap on SPI’s future priorities.
The one-day conference is free of charge and open to all active or aspiring members of the Swiss academic community interested or experienced in polar regions. Students, young scientists and experienced researchers from all fields are warmly invited to network and contribute to the debate!
Anmeldung und Programm
Where: ETHZ Hauptgebäude D1.1
When: 4 April 2018
The one-day conference is free of charge and open to all active or aspiring members of the Swiss academic community interested or experienced in polar regions. Students, young scientists and experienced researchers from all fields are warmly invited to network and contribute to the debate!
Anmeldung und Programm
Where: ETHZ Hauptgebäude D1.1
When: 4 April 2018
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| Ilulissat-Eisfjord (Polararchiv Schweiz) |
Freitag, 25. August 2017
Demnächst: Schweizer Polarforschung (Sonderausstellung "Swiss Camp", 1. September bis 19. November 2017, focusTerra, ETH Zürich)
2017 wurde die Schweiz als einer der wenigen nicht angrenzenden Staaten als Beobachter in das Arctic Council aufgenommen. Das kommt nicht von ungefähr, denn Schweizer WissenschaftlerInnen sind sehr aktiv in der Polarforschung. Das Verständnis der Prozesse von Schnee und Eis − wie an den Polen – prägen sowohl Landschaft als auch Leben hierzulande. Aus der langen Tradition von hochalpiner Forschung hat sich seit dem 19. Jahrhundert eine breite Palette von Fachgebieten entwickelt. Die resultierenden Kenntnisse auf den Gebieten der Glaziologie, der Geo-, Bio-, Atmosphären- und Bodenwissenschaften bringen grosse Gewinne für die Erforschung der Polarregionen − und umgekehrt. (Website)
Öffnungszeiten: Mo-Fr: 9:00–17:00; So: 10:00–16:00; Sa: geschlossen Adresse und Lageplan
Öffentliche Vortragsreihe Schweizer Polarforschung sowie Filme zur Ausstellung
Blog ETH Bibliothek/ETHeritage und zur Biographie Alfred de Quervains
Öffnungszeiten: Mo-Fr: 9:00–17:00; So: 10:00–16:00; Sa: geschlossen Adresse und Lageplan
Öffentliche Vortragsreihe Schweizer Polarforschung sowie Filme zur Ausstellung
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| Schweizer Forschungsstation Swiss Camp in Grönland, Konrad Steffen, WSL |
Blog ETH Bibliothek/ETHeritage und zur Biographie Alfred de Quervains
Mittwoch, 5. Juli 2017
High Altitudes meet High Latitudes: Globalizing Polar Issues, September 11-12, 2017 Switzerland, Crans-Montana
Climate change has global causes and effects. This conference addresses growing challenges and their consequences for fragile environments both in the high latitudes and high altitudes, focusing on the polar regions and the Alps. It brings together researches from natural and social sciences to facilitate dialogue among experts with the aim of comparing observations from these regions, tracing causal chains, and connecting the global and local scales of analysis. Problem-based issues such as biodiversity, urbanization, permafrost, health and risk management, structure the conference workshops.
The conference’s emphasis on links between local and global processes, as well as its interdisciplinary approach, also enable the promotion of academic and public awareness on the climate change mechanisms impacting familiar and distant locations.
Program
The conference’s emphasis on links between local and global processes, as well as its interdisciplinary approach, also enable the promotion of academic and public awareness on the climate change mechanisms impacting familiar and distant locations.
Program
Donnerstag, 19. Januar 2017
Samstag, 8. Oktober 2016
Expertise bei der Erforschung eisbedeckter Gebiete: Schweiz stellt am Arctic Circle in Reykjavik ihr Engagement in der Arktis vor (EDA, Medienmitteilung)
Bern, 07.10.2016 - Im Rahmen des Arctic Circle in Reykjavik, der weltweit grössten Konferenz, die sich der arktischen Region und seinen wissenschaftlichen, politischen, ökologischen und wirtschaftlichen Herausforderungen widmet, präsentiert die Schweiz ihr Engagement und ihre Aktivitäten in der Arktis. An der vom 7. bis 9. Oktober 2016 dauernden Konferenz stehen Fragen im Zusammenhang mit den Folgen des Klimawandels im Zentrum. Die Schweizer Delegation, der Vertreterinnen und Vertreter aus Politik und Wissenschaft angehören, wird von Staatssekretär Yves Rossier geleitet. Die Teilnahme am Arctic Circle findet vor dem Hintergrund der schweizerischen Kandidatur für den Beobachterstatus im Arktischen Rat statt.
Die Schweiz ist eingeladen worden, an der 4. Versammlung des Arctic Circle ihr Engagement und ihre Aktivitäten in der Arktis vorzustellen. Diese Gelegenheit wird die Schweiz dazu nutzen, die Parallelen zwischen der Schweiz und den Ländern des Nordens aufzuzeigen. Gletscher haben die Landschaft der Schweiz massgeblich geformt. Wie die grönländische Eiskappe sind sie besonders vom Klimawandel betroffen. Die Schweiz hat in der Höhenforschung sowie in der Erforschung der Kryosphäre, das heisst des Bereichs der die Erde bedeckenden Eismassen, eine langjährige Erfahrung und Tradition vorzuweisen. Diese Expertise findet seit vielen Jahren Eingang in verschiedene Forschungsprojekte in der Arktis. Das bedeutendste Projekt ist die Forschungsstation Swiss Camp im Osten Grönlands, wo seit über 20 Jahren Klimamessungen durchgeführt werden.
In einer Plenarsitzung sollen die zahlreichen Interaktionen zwischen der Schweiz und der arktischen Region sowie ihr wissenschaftliches Engagement hervorgehoben werden. Staatssekretär Yves Rossier, Nationalrätin Tiana Angelina Moser, Frederik Paulsen, Mitbegründer des neuen Swiss Polar Institute, Konrad Steffen, Direktor der Eidgenössischen Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft (WSL), und Matthias Finger (EPFL) werden daran teilnehmen.
Die Teilnahme am Arctic Circle findet vor dem Hintergrund der schweizerischen Kandidatur für den Beobachterstatus im Arktischen Rat statt. In diesem zwischenstaatlichen Gremium haben nebst den acht Anrainerstaaten der Arktis (Kanada, Dänemark, Finnland, Island, Norwegen, Russland, Schweden und die USA), die indigenen Völker sowie Länder mit bedeutendem Engagement in der Region Einsitz.
Arctic Circle
Die Eisschmelze in der Arktis ermöglicht neue Handelswege zwischen Asien und Europa, beschleunigt den Klimawandel und erleichtert den Zugang zu grossen bis anhin ungenutzten Rohstoffvorkommen. Damit einhergehende politische, wirtschaftliche, wissenschaftliche und ökologische Fragen sollen an der diesjährigen Konferenz des Arctic Circle thematisiert werden.
Der Arctic Circle ist ein internationales Forum, an dem jedes Jahr politische Entscheidungsträger, Wirtschaftsverantwortliche, Umweltexperten, Wissenschaftler sowie Vertreter der indigenen Bevölkerung teilnehmen. Ziel der Konferenz ist es, den Dialog zwischen den Akteuren zu intensivieren und die Aufmerksamkeit der internationalen Gemeinschaft auf die Zukunft der Arktis zu lenken.
Mit Blick auf die zunehmend strategische Rolle der Arktis hat der Arctic Circle rasch an Bedeutung über die Anrainerstaaten der Arktis hinaus gewonnen. So haben sich 2015 rund 2‘000 Personen aus 50 Ländern in Island eingefunden, um über die Zukunft der fragilen Region zu sprechen.
Autochthone Völker und Kultur
Die Schweiz interessiert sich in Zusammenhang mit der Arktis nicht nur für wissenschaftliche, sondern auch für kulturelle Fragen. Unter anderem setzt sie sich dafür ein, dass die indigene Bevölkerung in die Diskussionen miteingebunden wird. Im Rahmen eines Side Event des Arctic Circle werden schweizerische und grönländische Gäste die Folgen des Klimawandels für die Bewohner der Arktis diskutieren. Des Weiteren widmet sich eine Ausstellung den Aktivitäten der Schweiz in der Polarregion und zeigt die zahlreichen Verbindungen zwischen unserem Land und der Arktis auf.
Medienmitteilung EDA
Arctic Circle
Die Schweiz ist eingeladen worden, an der 4. Versammlung des Arctic Circle ihr Engagement und ihre Aktivitäten in der Arktis vorzustellen. Diese Gelegenheit wird die Schweiz dazu nutzen, die Parallelen zwischen der Schweiz und den Ländern des Nordens aufzuzeigen. Gletscher haben die Landschaft der Schweiz massgeblich geformt. Wie die grönländische Eiskappe sind sie besonders vom Klimawandel betroffen. Die Schweiz hat in der Höhenforschung sowie in der Erforschung der Kryosphäre, das heisst des Bereichs der die Erde bedeckenden Eismassen, eine langjährige Erfahrung und Tradition vorzuweisen. Diese Expertise findet seit vielen Jahren Eingang in verschiedene Forschungsprojekte in der Arktis. Das bedeutendste Projekt ist die Forschungsstation Swiss Camp im Osten Grönlands, wo seit über 20 Jahren Klimamessungen durchgeführt werden.
In einer Plenarsitzung sollen die zahlreichen Interaktionen zwischen der Schweiz und der arktischen Region sowie ihr wissenschaftliches Engagement hervorgehoben werden. Staatssekretär Yves Rossier, Nationalrätin Tiana Angelina Moser, Frederik Paulsen, Mitbegründer des neuen Swiss Polar Institute, Konrad Steffen, Direktor der Eidgenössischen Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft (WSL), und Matthias Finger (EPFL) werden daran teilnehmen.
Die Teilnahme am Arctic Circle findet vor dem Hintergrund der schweizerischen Kandidatur für den Beobachterstatus im Arktischen Rat statt. In diesem zwischenstaatlichen Gremium haben nebst den acht Anrainerstaaten der Arktis (Kanada, Dänemark, Finnland, Island, Norwegen, Russland, Schweden und die USA), die indigenen Völker sowie Länder mit bedeutendem Engagement in der Region Einsitz.
Arctic Circle
Die Eisschmelze in der Arktis ermöglicht neue Handelswege zwischen Asien und Europa, beschleunigt den Klimawandel und erleichtert den Zugang zu grossen bis anhin ungenutzten Rohstoffvorkommen. Damit einhergehende politische, wirtschaftliche, wissenschaftliche und ökologische Fragen sollen an der diesjährigen Konferenz des Arctic Circle thematisiert werden.
Der Arctic Circle ist ein internationales Forum, an dem jedes Jahr politische Entscheidungsträger, Wirtschaftsverantwortliche, Umweltexperten, Wissenschaftler sowie Vertreter der indigenen Bevölkerung teilnehmen. Ziel der Konferenz ist es, den Dialog zwischen den Akteuren zu intensivieren und die Aufmerksamkeit der internationalen Gemeinschaft auf die Zukunft der Arktis zu lenken.
Mit Blick auf die zunehmend strategische Rolle der Arktis hat der Arctic Circle rasch an Bedeutung über die Anrainerstaaten der Arktis hinaus gewonnen. So haben sich 2015 rund 2‘000 Personen aus 50 Ländern in Island eingefunden, um über die Zukunft der fragilen Region zu sprechen.
Autochthone Völker und Kultur
Die Schweiz interessiert sich in Zusammenhang mit der Arktis nicht nur für wissenschaftliche, sondern auch für kulturelle Fragen. Unter anderem setzt sie sich dafür ein, dass die indigene Bevölkerung in die Diskussionen miteingebunden wird. Im Rahmen eines Side Event des Arctic Circle werden schweizerische und grönländische Gäste die Folgen des Klimawandels für die Bewohner der Arktis diskutieren. Des Weiteren widmet sich eine Ausstellung den Aktivitäten der Schweiz in der Polarregion und zeigt die zahlreichen Verbindungen zwischen unserem Land und der Arktis auf.
Medienmitteilung EDA
Arctic Circle
Montag, 18. April 2016
Newly created Swiss Polar Institute to launch an Antarctic expedition
The future of the Earth’s poles is critical. In the coming decades, major international negotiations will focus on the polar regions, which are bearing the brunt of global warming. Switzerland, intent on having its voice heard and making a contribution in a field in which it already has solid expertise, today announced the creation of the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI). This new interdisciplinary center will be devoted to researching the Earth's poles and other extreme environments. The SPI, based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is a consortium of Swiss universities – EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, ETH Zurich and the University of Bern – and was cofounded with Editions Paulsen. Officially supported by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the SPI is a Swiss initiative with a decidedly international mission.
Polar explorer Frederik Paulsen is proud to be involved in this initiative: “The Swiss Polar Institute will help drive research in extreme environments, contribute to progress in the field of polar science and promote cooperation among public and academic institutions, industry and private-sector partners.”
To mark its launch, the SPI is organizing a major project: the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) will be the first scientific expedition to fully sail around the southernmost continent. The purpose of this expedition, with key logistical support from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, will be to measure and quantify the impact of climate change and pollution in the Southern Ocean.
More than 50 researchers
At the end of December 2016, some 50 researchers from around the world will set off for three months onboard the Akademik Treshnikov, a Russian ship dedicated to scientific research. Twentytwo research projects – submitted by teams from Switzerland, the UK, France, Australia, etc. – were selected for the expedition. The projects range from glaciology to climatology, biology and oceanography.
This expedition neatly illustrates the SPI’s mission: the Swiss Polar Institute is designed to be a platform for global experts in polar research to bring their combined knowledge to bear – such as by drawing parallels between polar environments and alpine regions. This is similar to what is being done in the field of space research. “Swiss universities owe their competitiveness to a shrewd approach of competing and cooperating with each other at the same time,” said Mauro Dell'Ambrogio, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation. “The Swiss Polar Institute is a great example of intelligent cooperation.”
The Institute’s role will also be to assess the state of the Earth's poles and climate in general, to outline the many challenges we face going forward and to keep the public informed. Its work is bound to have an impact on the development of new technologies for extreme environments. The SPI will be an important asset for Switzerland, which aims to play a key role in international agreements on the future of the polar regions. This includes discussions on the Antarctic Treaty.
The Earth’s climate balance is at stake
The Earth’s poles are fundamental to the planet's climate balance, and learning more about how they work through research is crucial. The climate, which is regulated by the interaction of atmospheric and oceanic currents, acts like a massive heat engine. This engine is powered by the transfer of heat between polar and tropical regions: currents of icy water deep in the ocean travel from the poles toward the equator, while warm water and air move across the ocean’s surface towards the frigid zones. This complex and fragile mechanism also plays a key role in the carbon cycle, in which the ocean absorbs a significant amount of the CO2 in the atmosphere.
Human settlement and activities may be concentrated far from the Earth’s poles, but they directly affect polar environments. “The poles are essential for climate balance, but they are also the regions where changes are most apparent: that’s where the largest temperature differences have been recorded,” said Philippe Gillet, vice president of EPFL and a specialist in Earth and planetary science. The 2015-2016 winter was the mildest on record at the North Pole. December and January temperatures there, normally close to -20°C, were above freezing.
Potential discoveries
The 22 projects selected for the expedition cover a spectrum of topics, including the composition of plankton, threatened animal species, the presence of microplastics in the surrounding water, the carbon cycle, microorganisms that flourish in the ocean depths or in ice, and the impact of waves on the coasts.
“The ACE initiative is a unique and precious opportunity”, says ACE Panel member Prof. Jean Jouzel, glaciologist and climatologist. “Bringing together multi-disciplinary projects to circumnavigate Antarctica and gathering scientific evidence in a region so remote and yet deeply affected by human activity and climate change will hugely contribute to our understanding of past and future evolution of the Southern Ocean. It is a key region for the carbon cycle and the Antarctic continent which may significantly contribute to the sea-level rise in the coming centuries“.
The projects will make use of the most advanced data collection and analysis technologies available. In addition, because they will be run in extreme environments, the projects will provide insight into biochemical compounds and microorganisms that up to now have been studied little if at all. The results could lead to discoveries and new and interesting applications in the fields of biotechnology, medicine and environmental science. (Sarah Perrin / EPFL) Press kit
NZZ Berner Zeitung
Polar explorer Frederik Paulsen is proud to be involved in this initiative: “The Swiss Polar Institute will help drive research in extreme environments, contribute to progress in the field of polar science and promote cooperation among public and academic institutions, industry and private-sector partners.”
To mark its launch, the SPI is organizing a major project: the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) will be the first scientific expedition to fully sail around the southernmost continent. The purpose of this expedition, with key logistical support from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, will be to measure and quantify the impact of climate change and pollution in the Southern Ocean.
More than 50 researchers
At the end of December 2016, some 50 researchers from around the world will set off for three months onboard the Akademik Treshnikov, a Russian ship dedicated to scientific research. Twentytwo research projects – submitted by teams from Switzerland, the UK, France, Australia, etc. – were selected for the expedition. The projects range from glaciology to climatology, biology and oceanography.
This expedition neatly illustrates the SPI’s mission: the Swiss Polar Institute is designed to be a platform for global experts in polar research to bring their combined knowledge to bear – such as by drawing parallels between polar environments and alpine regions. This is similar to what is being done in the field of space research. “Swiss universities owe their competitiveness to a shrewd approach of competing and cooperating with each other at the same time,” said Mauro Dell'Ambrogio, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation. “The Swiss Polar Institute is a great example of intelligent cooperation.”
The Institute’s role will also be to assess the state of the Earth's poles and climate in general, to outline the many challenges we face going forward and to keep the public informed. Its work is bound to have an impact on the development of new technologies for extreme environments. The SPI will be an important asset for Switzerland, which aims to play a key role in international agreements on the future of the polar regions. This includes discussions on the Antarctic Treaty.
The Earth’s climate balance is at stake
The Earth’s poles are fundamental to the planet's climate balance, and learning more about how they work through research is crucial. The climate, which is regulated by the interaction of atmospheric and oceanic currents, acts like a massive heat engine. This engine is powered by the transfer of heat between polar and tropical regions: currents of icy water deep in the ocean travel from the poles toward the equator, while warm water and air move across the ocean’s surface towards the frigid zones. This complex and fragile mechanism also plays a key role in the carbon cycle, in which the ocean absorbs a significant amount of the CO2 in the atmosphere.
Human settlement and activities may be concentrated far from the Earth’s poles, but they directly affect polar environments. “The poles are essential for climate balance, but they are also the regions where changes are most apparent: that’s where the largest temperature differences have been recorded,” said Philippe Gillet, vice president of EPFL and a specialist in Earth and planetary science. The 2015-2016 winter was the mildest on record at the North Pole. December and January temperatures there, normally close to -20°C, were above freezing.
Potential discoveries
The 22 projects selected for the expedition cover a spectrum of topics, including the composition of plankton, threatened animal species, the presence of microplastics in the surrounding water, the carbon cycle, microorganisms that flourish in the ocean depths or in ice, and the impact of waves on the coasts.
“The ACE initiative is a unique and precious opportunity”, says ACE Panel member Prof. Jean Jouzel, glaciologist and climatologist. “Bringing together multi-disciplinary projects to circumnavigate Antarctica and gathering scientific evidence in a region so remote and yet deeply affected by human activity and climate change will hugely contribute to our understanding of past and future evolution of the Southern Ocean. It is a key region for the carbon cycle and the Antarctic continent which may significantly contribute to the sea-level rise in the coming centuries“.
The projects will make use of the most advanced data collection and analysis technologies available. In addition, because they will be run in extreme environments, the projects will provide insight into biochemical compounds and microorganisms that up to now have been studied little if at all. The results could lead to discoveries and new and interesting applications in the fields of biotechnology, medicine and environmental science. (Sarah Perrin / EPFL) Press kit
NZZ Berner Zeitung
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