Monday, August 11

Now we are on our way!

Yesterday, Oden set sail from Longyearbyen, and the Canada–Sweden Arctic Ocean 2025 expedition has begun its journey into the ice and towards the North Pole.

During the night, as planned, we met the Canadian icebreaker CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. The two ships will now travel together northwards.

There is a fantastic atmosphere on board. The researchers are unpacking and preparing their equipment for sampling. We have also started Tool-Box Talks, safety training sessions for the researchers who will carry out particularly advanced practical tasks during the expedition—such as flying by helicopter to collect samples from ice floes, using ice drills to take ice cores, or operating water samplers deployed from the bow of Oden to depths of several thousand meters.

The graduate school is also in full swing with lectures, so we are keeping very busy!

Katarina Gårdfeldt, Expedition Coordinator