The Polar Year 2024 has been characterised by an increased focus on polar research, with new government missions, investments in research infrastructure, and successful expeditions in both the Arctic and Antarctic. The importance of polar research has also been clearly highlighted in this year's budget and research policy bills.
Artist Sara-Vide Ericson has been accepted for this year's expedition to the Arctic aboard the icebreaker Oden – a unique opportunity to combine artistic creation with the extreme environment of the Arctic. With an international track record and a passion for large-scale oil paintings, she has long sought the opportunity to challenge herself – both artistically and personally.
In Luleå on 22 May 2024, a symposium was held with the title: Geoengineering Symposium - Science Fiction or Possible Element for a Sustainable Environmental and Climate Future?
The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat's logistics expedition DML 24/25 has now been completed, and the technicians have returned home after working at the Swedish research station Wasa in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica.
On January 15, 2025, the Polar Research Secretariat organized a knowledge seminar on environmental forecasts for sustainable development in the Arctic at the World Trade Center in Stockholm. The seminar discussed the importance of and opportunities for observations of the environment in the central Arctic.
Two research vessels side by side at sea is an unusual sight – but on Friday, R/V Svea and R/V Skagerak joined forces when SWERVE's workshop series on CTD profiling concluded with a cross-calibration in Danafjorden, near Gothenburg.
The next sub-project in Polar Connect is now being launched, where five Nordic actors are coming together to secure the global digital infrastructure of the future.
Since September, Margareta Johansson is the new Head of Department for Land-Based Research Support at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat with responsibility for the Abisko Scientific Research Station and the Wasa and Svea research stations in Antarctica. She has 25 years of experience in polar research and research infrastructure.
Researchers on the GEOEO North of Greenland expedition returned from northern Greenland in September with more samples than they expected. The expedition aimed to study how Greenland's biodiversity has changed over time, focusing on the effects of climate change and human activity.
On 6 November in Kiruna, the Swedish Centre for the Arctic and Antarctic was established. This collaborative organisation between Luleå University of Technology, Umeå University, and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat will coordinate national and international activities that strengthen Swedish research and education related to the polar regions.
The Swedish Research Council (VR) has funded four modules of National Research Infrastructures onboard I/B Oden, and there is now an opportunity to apply for extending the infrastructure one more period.
Opportunities for a long-term Arctic Observatory using Submarine Cables. Join the discussion! Your expertise and insights are valuable!
The application for SWERVE funding of 2025 and 2026 ship time is now open! SWERVE coordinates an open call for ship time, whereby high-quality research proposals will be allocated ship time on one of six SWERVE vessels.
On August 5, the Arctic expedition North of Greenland 2024 starts with 40 researchers on board. The icebreaker Oden will then go from Thule to Victoria Fjord in northern Greenland to acquire more knowledge about the future of the northern Greenland ice sheet and how it can affect the global sea level.
