A total of 19 participants – 9 researchers and 10 logistics staff – will take part between 25 November 2026 and 12 February 2027. Fieldwork is based at the Swedish Wasa Station in Dronning Maud Land and is carried out in the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf catchment and on the ice sheet.

About the iQ2300 theme

The theme East Antarctic Sea level rise contribution in 2300, iQ2300, focuses on how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet responds to climate change and how these changes may influence global sea-level rise up to the year 2300. The researchers combine field data, remote sensing, marine observations, and advanced ice and climate modelling. The goal is to reduce uncertainties in future sea-level projections and to identify thresholds in the ice system that could trigger rapid melting.

Logistics and fieldwork

Ten members of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat’s logistics team are responsible for transport, field camps, energy systems, communications, and safety. Research teams will move in small groups using snowmobiles and sleds, and live in mobile accommodation units – arks – which provide shelter and warmth even under harsh weather conditions.

The expedition will follow established travel routes to avoid crevassed terrain and environmentally sensitive areas. The expedition coordinates fuel and food supplies through carefully planned deliveries and collaboration with the Norwegian, German, and Finnish Antarctic programs.

The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat has a long-standing logistics collaboration with Finland’s Antarctic Program (FINNARP). We cooperate on air transport, and the Finnish station Aboa (located next to Wasa) will provide accommodation for one research group.

Work packages during the 2026/27 field season

WP 7 – Ice-sheet dynamics and bed topography

WP7 investigates how the ice, ocean and bedrock interact in the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf catchment. Radar surveys, field measurements and ice-dynamical modelling will improve knowledge of the bed topography and ice flow, providing a stronger basis for projections to 2300.

WP 10 – Geodetic observations: understanding the crustal movements

This work package studies crustal movements in Dronning Maud Land using GNSS and gravity measurements. The observations help distinguish the effects of tides and changing ice and snow loads from long-term changes such as land uplift. The results will improve models of how the Earth responds to these loads.

WP 11 – Reconstructing paleo-ice surface elevations

WP11 investigates when the East Antarctic Ice Sheet was smaller than today by analysing bedrock cores from beneath the ice. During the 2026–27 field season, radar, geological mapping and snow-stratigraphic analyses will help identify suitable drilling sites and assess whether the ice surface was lower during recent millennia or past warm periods, including the Last Interglacial. The cores will extend MAGIC-DML sampling transects from 2023/24, providing a more complete record of past ice-surface changes.

POLARIN projects

This year’s expedition also includes two projects within the EU-funded Polar Research Infrastructure Network (POLARIN).

• MicroAirPolar
• New Pandora

Fieldwork for these projects is carried out on site by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat’s own staff. This is a climate- and cost-efficient approach suited to certain types of research. It also makes it possible to collect research data from several locations at the same time.

Read more about POLARIN.