Press release: The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat makes its largest Antarctic investment in decades

The Swedish research station Wasa in Antarctica. Photo: Ola Eriksson.

Between 2025 and 2030, several expeditions to Antarctica will be carried out in which researchers will investigate how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet may contribute to sea-level rise, and how warmer oceans affect melting and ecosystems. The investment will strengthen knowledge about the impacts of climate change in Antarctica and globally.

– There is great interest in conducting research in Antarctica, both in Sweden and internationally, which is why we are making our largest investment in several decades. Together with the research community, we are creating the conditions for new knowledge about one of the planet’s most challenging areas to study. The results will have significance far beyond the scientific community – for societal planning, climate preparedness and future generations’ understanding of a changing climate, says Katarina Gårdfeldt, Director of the Polar Research Secretariat.

Research to understand future sea levels

The iQ2300 2025/26 expedition is the first in a five-year research effort focusing on how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet responds to a warmer climate – and how this affects global sea levels up to 2300. It is an interdisciplinary theme that studies ice dynamics, snow accumulation and the stability of ice shelves.

– The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is currently relatively stable, but this could change rapidly in a warmer climate. The Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf is one of the most sensitive systems in East Antarctica, and our research will provide insights into how close we are to a threshold. Through iQ2300, we are building new knowledge that is crucial for improving predictions of future sea levels, says Arjen Stroeven, Professor of Physical Geography at Stockholm University and leader of the iQ2300 theme.

Approximately 40 research projects are included in the two themes that were granted following a thematic call in 2023. In addition to iQ2300, Pulse of the Weddell Sea is included – a marine research theme focusing on the complex interactions among the ocean, ice and atmosphere. Fieldwork within that theme will begin next season.

Logistics collaboration with Germany and Finland

This year’s expedition will run from 26 November 2025 to 4 February 2026 and will include 23 participants – 13 researchers and 10 technicians – who will conduct fieldwork in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The expedition will operate from the Swedish research stations Wasa and Svea and the German station Neumayer III. We also collaborate with the Finnish station Aboa, located next to Wasa.

Researchers participating in iQ2300 2025/26 will, among other things:
• measure ice thickness and basal topography beneath the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf using radar and seismic surveys
• study firn aquifers – water-filled layers within compacted snow/firn between fresh snow and glacial ice – and their impact on ice-shelf stability
• map snow accumulation along a 400 km transect from the coast to the polar plateau
• combine field data with satellite observations

Background

Sweden has conducted research in Antarctica in connection with the Wasa and Svea stations since the late 1980s and has been a member of the Antarctic Treaty since 1984. Under the Antarctic Treaty, only peaceful activities, such as research and tourism, may be conducted on the continent, and research results must be shared openly.

The two research themes, Pulse of the Weddell Sea and iQ2300, were adopted in 2023 after an open call. In early 2024, a call for research projects within each theme followed. The research can contribute to future IPCC reports and to planning for the International Polar Year 2032–33.

Swedish research stations in Antarctica

The Wasa research station is used only during the Antarctic summer seasons and is located on the nunataks at Basen in Vestfjella, Dronning Maud Land. Wasa was built during the Antarctic Expedition in 1988/89 and accommodates 12–16 people.

The Svea research station is located in the Heimefrontfjella mountain massif and was built during the Antarctic Expedition in 1987/88. Svea was the first Swedish research station in Antarctica since Snow Hill Station in 1901 and Maudheim in 1949. Svea functions as a satellite station to Wasa and is a base for smaller research groups temporarily working in the area.

A logistical solution is used in fieldwork, in which sled-mounted housing modules (“Arks”) are transported by snowmobile. Each Ark accommodates two people and is equipped with a stove and a kitchen. Tents are also used.

Read more about the expedition: https://www.polar.se/expeditioner/iq2300-202526/