I remember the first time I took part in a research expedition in the Arctic, along the southeastern coast of Greenland. More specifically, I remember very vividly the moment when I woke up one morning, looked out of the window and saw that we were completely surrounded by sea ice. My first time seeing sea ice!

Somehow, I couldn’t stop laughing. I knew then that I would become attached to this environment.

Luckily, I had already started getting involved in Arctic research before that. I then started compiling sub-bottom data (information on what lies beneath the seabed) acquired with IB Oden for Polar Connect. This led me to take part in the Canada-Sweden Arctic Ocean 2025 expedition last year, and now in the Polar Connect 2026 expedition that is happening right now. Back in the Central Arctic Ocean aboard IB Oden!

As part of the mapping team, my working hours have been from 16:00 to 24:00, although I have spent much more time looking at the live mapping before and after my shift. There is something almost hypnotic about discovering what the seafloor looks like in places that have never been mapped before. That is one reason for my persistent presence in front of the screens.

The other is that it is simply fun to chat with the team and crew before and after my shift. Even more so considering my working hours: when I have free time, everyone else is either working or sleeping. So, while I am enjoying the working hours with my colleague, I do miss some of the social side of the cruise.

Now, we are more or less leaving the sea ice behind us. That is always a bittersweet moment.

But I am very glad I got to visit you again, Arctic. I will miss you until next time.

Vicent Doñate Felip