Ocean Engineers and Scientists Share Ideas, Challenges at International Arctic Workshop
goals was a team of meeting facilitators from Forge Forward, who will continue to develop future workshops for this effort. Upcoming events for the ICE-PPR community include a winter weather workshop to be held in Fairbanks, Alaska, and an unmanned aerial vehicle demonstration to be held in Thule, Greenland, in 2024.“We live in a time when what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic. Gaining a better understanding of this region and improving our ability to operate there will be vital for the welfare of the planet and for securing our children’s future,” said Dr.
To Predict Future Sea Level Rise, We Need Accurate Maps of the World’s Most Remote Fjords
Understanding how glaciers interact with the ocean is akin to piecing together a colossal jigsaw puzzle. And on various icebreaker expeditions to some of the most remote fjords in northern Greenland, colleagues and I have showed that the shape of the seafloor is one of the key pieces of that puzzle.To understand why the seabed is so important, we have to look at the glaciers themselves and what is causing them to retreat or even disappear. The large glaciers that meet the ocean in Greenland and Antarctica balance their mass over time largely in pace with the climate. When it snows or rains they
Mega Machine Deep Driller: JOIDES Resolution
rocks rising from deep within the Earth’s interior. The second objective is to identify how the plume affects the circulation of deep cold water from the Norwegian Sea into the Atlantic Ocean (possibly through plume activity that contributed to changes in the height of oceanic gateways between Greenland, Iceland and Scotland). The third goal would determine how the structure of sediments and bedrock on the ocean floor influences how hydrothermal fluids change chemically over time.Locations around the region were identified for sampling based on the expedition goals, seismic reflection surveys
Norway Moves to Open Its Waters to Deep-sea Mining
a leading role in the global race to mine the ocean floor for metals that are in high demand as countries transition away from fossil fuels."We need minerals to succeed with the green transition," Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland said in a statement.The areas to be opened are in the Greenland Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea and cover an area of some 280,000 square kilometers (108,000 square miles), slightly smaller than the United Kingdom and Ireland put together.From that total surface, licenses for smaller areas would be offered to exploration companies over time.The move
Arctic Ocean Could Be Ice-free In Summer By 2030s, Scientists Say
effort invested in determining when the Arctic Ocean might first become ice-free in summer, sometimes called a “blue ocean event” and defined as when the sea ice area drops below 1 million sq kms. This threshold is used mainly because older, thicker ice along parts of Canada and northern Greenland is expected to remain long after the rest of the Arctic Ocean is ice-free. We can’t put an exact date on the last blue ocean event, but one in the near future would likely mean open water at the North Pole for the first time in thousands of years.The thickest ice (highlighted in pink) is
Norway Finds 'Substantial' Mineral Resources on Its Seabed
area, magnesium, niobium, cobalt, and rare earth minerals are found on the European Commission's list of critical minerals," the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), which conducted the study, said in a statement. The resources estimate, covering remote areas in the Norwegian Sea and Greenland Sea, showed there were 38 million tonnes of copper, almost twice the volume mined globally each year, and 45 million tonnes of zinc accumulated in polymetallic sulfides. The sulphides, or "black smokers", are found along the mid-ocean ridge, where magma from the Earth's mantle
AutoNaut Completes a 16-week, 4,000-mile Mission on the Atlantic continental shelf break
, loaned by UEA, fitted externally to the hull (depth not used)AirMar weather station, fitted to low bridgeThe original route plan was to be a 90-day deployment from SAMS in Oban, following the Extended Ellett Line out to Rockall and then north towards Iceland, before transiting west some way towards Greenland, with return to Oban. This changed as the start was delayed from May to August due to Covid impacting supply and resources. Also obtaining diplomatic clearance to collect data in the EEZ of other nations normally takes six months, and conditions were attached. The plan then developed
Case Study: Autonaut Put to the Test
, loaned by UEA, fitted externally to the hull (depth not used)AirMar weather station, fitted to low bridgeThe original route plan was to be a 90-day deployment from SAMS in Oban, following the Extended Ellett Line out to Rockall and then north towards Iceland, before transiting west some way towards Greenland, with return to Oban. This changed as the start was delayed from May to August due to Covid impacting supply and resources. Also obtaining diplomatic clearance to collect data in the EEZ of other nations normally takes six months, and conditions were attached. The plan then developed
ASL Hires Chawarski as Biological Oceanographer
work over the last several years has focused on a range of topics including mesopelagic and Arctic fisheries. Before joining ASL he’s worked with industry, government and non-profit groups such as the Fish, Food & Allied Workers Union, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources.His technical expertise in scientific echo sounders and passion for marine ecology has brought him to some of the far reaches of the ocean. From 2018-2020, Chawarski worked with DFO to develop studies in the Labrador Sea as a part of the Integrated Studies &
February 2024
