- The drift station’s goal is to continually observe changes in the Arctic climate system over the course of a complete drift through the Arctic Ocean.
- Over the past several months, a six-member scientific team – from among twelve overwinterers in all – have engaged in rigorous preparations for their future tasks, which will include collecting data and carrying out more than 200 working routines and measurement protocols prepared by 35 partner institutes.
- The next major milestone, in early September, will be a rendezvous in the Laptev Sea with the Chinese research icebreaker Xuelong 2, which will accompany the station into the pack ice.
Ten years of preparation, twenty years of research
The idea of using a research station permanently adrift in the sea ice to systematically observe the Central Arctic over several years was born more than a decade ago. In contrast to the norm for individual expeditions, the goal was to permanently deploy an international drift station in the region that could systematically investigate the changes first-hand. Drawing on this vision, France’s Tara Ocean Foundation worked hand-in-hand with a host of international partners to develop the concept for Tara Polar Station – a research platform specially designed for year-long drift missions. No less than ten expeditions are planned for the next 20 years. The objective: to create extensive and mutually comparable datasets on the atmosphere, sea ice and ocean, and to document changes in the Arctic ecosystem and climate system over decades in the process. At the same time, the programme will build on the work of past drift stations like the Fram (1893 – 1896), the Soviet Union’s North Pole (NP) stations and, most recently, the international expedition MOSAiC (2019 – 2020), continuing their tradition with the aid of advanced observational methods.
Up to the last minute: focus on research
Tara Polar Station had previously departed from its homeport of Lorient on France’s Atlantic coast on 19 July 2026. After stopping in Rotterdam to take on fuel and provisions, its route took it to Tromsø and then to Kirkenes, northern Norway (Figure 1).
In Tromsø, the last scientific equipment was loaded on board. This especially included oceanographic monitoring systems that will be installed below the sea ice, where they will continually measure and record the temperature, salinity and other properties of the ocean throughout the station’s drift (Figure 2). Up until the last minute, everyone was waiting on the arrival of the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) sensor system – one of the most essential tools for the oceanographic observation programmes. The AWI oceanographers joined in these final preparations with bated breath and one major concern: would the probe arrive in time? Thankfully, the majority of the scientific equipment – including the instruments needed for all the other AWI observation programmes – had already been on board since June, after having been installed and tested during several weeks of intensive training in Lorient.
Figure 1: Tara Polar Station pulling away from the pier in Kirkenes, Norway, at 10:30 a.m. on 22 August. The last stop before the journey north to the Arctic sea ice began. (Photo: Marcel Nicolaus / Alfred Wegener Institute)
Figure 2: The ship’s extensive wet lab. All equipment has been stowed and secured for the voyage into the sea ice (left: Maxime Geoffroy / University of Tromsø, right: Julia Regnery / AWI). (Photo: Marcel Nicolaus / Alfred Wegener Institute)
One unique feature of the Tara Polaris expeditions: the small scientific team. Unlike on classic research vessels, most of the researchers won’t be bringing their own instruments. Instead, a small core team will be responsible for all observation programmes.
“When it comes to the Polaris 1 expedition, one major challenge is that the scientific team only consists of six people, who will be carrying out more than 200 different working routines and measurement protocols for 35 partner institutes. That’s not that different from a space mission, which is why on board we fondly refer to them as the ‘Taranauts’. After all, normally every scientist operates her or his own equipment. Here, each member has to be familiar with an extremely broad range of methods,” explains AWI sea-ice physicist Dr Marcel Nicolaus.
Consequently, during the training in Lorient, all processes and procedures were practised together and recorded on video. Over the next twelve moths, these recordings will offer a reference work for the team.
A small team for a big task
In Kirkenes, the winter team came on board: twelve people – eight men and four women – and Örkki, the expedition dog (Figure 3). As such, the crew is much smaller than on research icebreakers like the Polarstern, which is frequently home to more than 100 people at a time.
Life on board will also be quite different from on large research vessels. On Tara Polar Station, space is in short supply (Figure 4): scientific equipment, replacement parts, provisions and other consumables have been packed into virtually every crack and crevice. Ideally, the ship won’t need to go to port or be resupplied before autumn 2027, with two crew changeovers slated for the spring and summer of 2027.
Figure 3: Expedition dog Örkki, a six-month-old Finnish Lapphund. (Photo: Marcel Nicolaus / Alfred Wegener Institute)
Figure 4: The bridge of Tara Polar Station. (Photo: Marcel Nicolaus / Alfred Wegener Institute)
Over the past week, the team has begun settling in on board and establishing shared routines. They’ve moved into their cabins and in some cases personalised them – after all, they’ll be what the overwintering team calls home for the next several months (Figure 5). In winter, everyone can have a cabin of their own, whereas in spring and summer there will be up to 18 people on board, which means some cabins will have to be shared.
The AWI’s Dr Julia Regnery describes her first impressions: “It’s great that we’re finally getting started. I’m very excited but also a bit anxious about the next nine months – or more. For me, the French language will surely continue to be a challenge. When it comes to science, we all speak English, but in day-to-day interactions, of course we also often speak French – which I’ve only been learning for the past few months.” (Figure 6)
The mood on board is excellent and all team members are raring to go.
Setting course for the ice
From Kirkenes, the station’s course will initially lead it northeast through the Barents Sea; it will then skirt the Novaya Zemlya archipelago before passing through the Kara Sea and between the islands of Severnaya Zemlya to the Laptev Sea (Figure 7). Once there, Tara Polar Station will tentatively rendezvous with the Chinese research icebreaker Xuelong 2 at roughly 80° N and 140° E on 7 September.
Similar to the RV Polarstern in the summer of 2025 during the CONTRASTS expedition, the Xuelong 2 will clear a path through the dense pack ice for Tara Polar Station. During the one- to two-day escort, both ships will be on the lookout for a suitable ice floe that the research station can moor to and drift through the Arctic Ocean with for an entire year. In this regard, the choice of starting point will be supported by extensive satellite observations and drift predictions. Over the past few months, the AWI has run numerous simulations of potential drift routes, which form the basis for the choice of when and where to rendezvous with the Chinese research icebreaker.
Currently, especially the eastern Arctic Ocean is characterised by unusually low sea-ice concentrations. At the selected starting point, this aspect should initially have very little relevance. However, later in the expedition the comparatively thin and loose ice conditions could mean a more dynamic drift and more pronounced changes in the ice floe than in past years.
You can find more detailed information on the Tara Polaris 1 drift station here.
Figure 5: Crew cabin on Tara Polar Station. In the winter, everyone can have a cabin of their own; in spring and summer, two researchers will have to share each cabin. (Photo: Marcel Nicolaus / Alfred Wegener Institute)
Figure 6: Dr Julia Regnery, an atmospheric chemist at the AWI, who will serve on board as an engineer for the atmospheric and sea ice programme this winter. (Photo: Marcel Nicolaus / Alfred Wegener Institute)
Figure 7: The planned route for the Polaris 1 expedition. (Image: Marcel Nicolaus / Alfred Wegener Institute)
Graphics