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The crew of more than 100 researchers and seafarers from various countries, including Norway, left the Tromsø pier on 20 September last year.
Since then, they have recovered from long, dark winter months, temperatures of minus 39.5 degrees, and around 20 polar bear encounters.
On Monday, the Polarstern ship is expected to dock in Bremerhaven, Germany. Due to the coronavirus, they are not greeted with the usual fanfare that awaits polar explorers.
Grim results
But the information they have gathered awaits many researchers. The researchers, who are from the Alfred Wegener Institute, bring home bleak results.
This summer, researchers looked at the dramatic effects global warming has had on police, which is “the epicenter of climate change,” according to expedition leader Markus Rex.
– We were able to see large expanses of open water near the pole, surrounded by ice that was destroyed by holes created by extensive melting. The police disappear at a dramatic ratesays Rex.
The researchers’ observations are supported by American satellite images, which show that policing in 2020 is at its second-lowest level in history.
Video: This is what 4000 meters under ice in the Arctic looks like
389 days on tour
The Polarstern expedition lasted 389 days and collected factual material on the atmosphere, sea, sea ice and the ecosystem in the Arctic to better understand climate change in the region and the world.
In the research work, four observation points were established on the sea ice around the ship. Water samples were collected under the ice to study plankton and bacteria, which may contribute to a new understanding of the ecosystem in one of the most climate-resistant areas in the world.
The expedition, which has cost 140 million euros, or 1.5 billion crowns, brings more than 1,000 ice samples to Germany.
The work is now entering an analysis phase, which will last up to two years. The goal is to develop models that can estimate what heat waves, heavy rains and storms will look like in 20, 50 and 100 years.
Magical moment
– To develop these models, we need observations made at the site, says Radiance Calmer, an American researcher who has participated in the expedition.
She says being able to walk around the police and see the changes with her own eyes was a magical moment.
– If you concentrate, you can feel the ice move. It’s important to take the time to observe, he says.
The crew return to a world characterized by the coronavirus, a virus that caused them to be trapped at the North Pole for two months when the borders were closed. The replacement crew was unable to fly as planned.
Video: Heat changes the Arctic forever
