Arctic Ocean, 2025-09-17

The expedition's final stop was a station well off the northeastern coast of Greenland. Here, in collaboration with the University of Bergen, we deployed special equipment that will remain on the seabed, about 3,000 meters below the surface, for approximately two years. The purpose is to collect data on ocean currents and more in an area where water circulates between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. The part of the equipment placed on the seabed includes a 125-meter-long line of sensors, held upright in the bottom water by several connected buoys. When it is time to retrieve the data, the lander is released by firing a mechanism that detaches its 900 kg weight, which remains on the seabed, while the lander itself floats to the surface carrying valuable data to be recovered by ship.

To ensure a successful launch, a small boat was used to extend the 125-meter sensor line. The lander with its weight was lowered from Oden’s rail at the same time as the sensor line was deployed from the small boat. This was a high-precision marine operation carried out by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat’s technicians and Oden’s crew.

It is now clear that we have come further south and that winter is approaching. The evenings are growing darker, and we enjoy beautiful sunsets. The atmosphere on board is both expectant and content—we are proud of everything we have accomplished together. We now bring home large amounts of data from one of the most remote places on Earth, the central Arctic Ocean.

The measurements we have made over these six weeks will contribute to a deeper understanding of the Arctic climate system and its global connections. In collaboration with Canada, we have mapped parts of the Arctic seabed that are important for the future governance of the region in accordance with the rules-based international order.

Through the Polar Connect collaboration, we have also mapped features such as several steep underwater ridges. This work supports planning for a possible future fiber-optic cable across the Arctic Ocean seabed that could improve communication between Europe and Asia. The Polar Connect initiative also aims to develop a conceptual system of smart seabed sensors to provide data on climate, ecosystems, and geological hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

Our fantastic graduate students, who joined their first six-week Polar expedition, have been truly outstanding. They not only completed a demanding theoretical course on the Arctic climate system but also participated in hands-on research on board alongside their studies. Saying goodbye to these talented and ambitious students will be difficult. It has been a privilege to follow their development on board, and we wish them every success in their future research careers—hopefully to meet them again as full-fledged Polar researchers.

Text: Katarina Gårdfeldt, expedition coordinator