About the research expedition

The Ryder 2019 expedition with the Swedish icebreaker Oden was a multidisciplinary expedition, spanning the fields of atmospheric chemistry and physics, biology, climatology, ecology, genomics, glaciology, oceanography, marine geology, geophysics, geochemistry and archaeology. The overarching goal is to investigate the dynamics and development of the marine cryosphere and ocean conditions over time in the marine realm of Ryder Glacier; more specifically in the Sherard Osborn Fjord and adjacent area of northern Nares Strait and the southern Lincoln Sea. Earth’s marine cryosphere includes glaciers extending into the ocean, ice sheets with their base suppressed below sea level, sea ice, gas hydrates and subsea permafrost.

Scientific motivation

One of the primary scientific motivations of the expedition is related to the role of outlet glaciers, such as Ryder Glacier, draining the Greenland Ice Sheet into the ocean. The dynamics of Greenland’s outlet glaciers represent an essential, but poorly constrained, part of our understanding of future sea-level rise in a warming climate. Critical to their stability are the roles of sea ice, floating ice tongues, bedrock and the shape of the seafloor.

The goal is to collect contextual data including information about the physical shape of the seafloor and its uppermost structure and geological composition, ocean conditions, as well as information about meltwater influx from the glaciers in the survey area. These data are needed from this poorly explored region to better constrain the numerical models needed to predict and assess the potential contribution of northern Greenland’s Ice Sheet to future sea-level rise.