While we are back in our cozy homes and the sparse winter daylight, the German research icebreaker Polarstern is just at the beginning of its one-year long endeavour. The transit to the Central Arctic, the search for a suitable floe for Polarstern and the set-up of the Distributed Network, also called leg1a, is over. This part of the expedition, where I had the privilege to be a part of, finished in the last October days with our safe return to Tromsø, Norway.
When we left Polarstern, darkness had fallen: Polar Night. The sun had already stopped showing us her face some days before, lurking just below the horizon, leaving us with some leftover light to set up the last remaining instruments of the Distributed Network. You do not realize how much you miss the sun until you get to see it again. You can't help but stand outside, all excited and happy, and glance at it for hours.
Now, for the people on Polarstern, there is no light but the moon and the headlamps and spotlights from the ship to breach the complete darkness. This, highly dynamical ice, polar bear visits and temperatures way below -20°C make it really difficult and sometimes even dangerous to work on the ice.
Check out https://follow.mosaic-expedition.org for daily updates on the MOSAiC expedition and the people onboard Polarstern, working in this harsh but beautiful environment we call the Arctic.
The RV Akademik Fedorov, my home far from home, in the vanisihing light of the Central Arctic
just before the beginning of polar night.
In case you are wondering: I am currently in the state of going through all the material (photos, interviews, videos,..) I produced - which is a lot - and the selection process. I am planning on making a book about my experiences on this expedition.
Check @the.answer.is.north for more photos on Instagram.
This was all possible thanks to:
Everything I write here reflects only my personal experiences, opinions and beliefs. You can find the official website of the MOSAiC expedition via the following link: https://www.mosaic-expedition.org.
