Adam Ulfsbo is going to map an unexplored part of the Arctic Ocean
At the end of July, marine chemist Adam Ulfsbo will embark the icebreaker Oden to travel to the Arctic Ocean to investigate, among other things, the expansion of ocean acidification. This year, the expedition will go to a previously almost unexplored area between Greenland and the North Pole.
“The area has historically been inaccessible due to thick multiyear ice that has accumulated in the area, but is now getting thinner. It’s basically a blank canvas when it comes to observations, and we hope to decorate this canvas with lots of data,” says Adam Ulfsbo, researcher at the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg.
Investigate the expansion of ocean acidification
This year's expedition with the icebreaker Oden is the Swedish contribution within the international research initiative Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS), where some dozen countries map different areas in the Arctic Ocean during 2020 – 2022.
Adam Ulfsbo is the principal investigator for the work package 'Carbon and Tracer Chemistry', where the researchers will, among other things, investigate the occurrence of ocean acidification and the accumulation of carbon dioxide caused by human emissions.
“We hope to get a clear picture of how different dissolved chemical substances are distributed in the water masses, where the substances are coming from and where they are going, and thereby gain a better understanding of how the systems react to climate change, and how physical, chemical and biological changes in one region can be spread to another,” says Adam Ulfsbo.
Large and rapid changes in the Arctic climate
It’s of great importance to monitor changes in the Arctic, as the Arctic Ocean undergoes rapid, large-scale changes in temperature, sea ice, freshwater input and the carbon cycle – changes that all affect the local and global climate.
The Arctic is also particularly sensitive to ocean acidification, which has harmful effects on many forms of marine life and which can affect fish stocks and marine ecosystems in the Arctic.
“Together with our colleagues from the other international expeditions within SAS, we hope to obtain an overall picture of the situation throughout the Arctic," says Adam Ulfsbo.
"We also need the observations to reduce uncertainties in the global climate models, and it’s of utmost importance to have a solid base line to be able to monitor changes,” says Adam Ulfsbo.
10 week long expedition
For Adam Ulfsbo, this year's expedition will be the seventh longer expedition to the Arctic. The icebreaker Oden weighs anchor on July 26, and the expedition is 10 weeks long, including a quarantine.
“It’s always exciting to travel north, and this year may be even more exciting because we are going to a pretty much unexplored area,” says Adam Ulfsbo.
Text: Annika Wall
Follow the Expedition and Oden's position at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat website: https://www.polar.se/expeditioner/synoptic-arctic-survey-2021/.
Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS) is an international research initiative where some dozen countries map different areas in the Arctic Ocean during 2020 - 2022. SAS' official website: https://synopticarcticsurvey.w.uib.no/
Adam Ulfsbo has previously participated in, for example, the MOSAiC expedition with the German research icebreaker Polarstern (2020), and the Ryder Expedition with the Swedish icebreaker Oden to Greenland (2019).
