During May and June 2023, the polar expedition ARTofMELT was carried out with the icebreaker Oden. One of the research projects was about characterizing atmospheric aerosol particles and clouds and was led by the expedition's Co-Chief Scientist Paul Zieger. Using a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory, the researchers studied aerosol particles and the processes that lead to cloud formation.
On January 10, Katarina Gårdfeldt, Director-General at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, met with Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yōko Kamikawa, about future collaborations in polar research. Japan's Ambassador to Sweden, Masaki Noke, and polar researchers Martin Jakobsson, Stockholm University and Dag Avango, Luleå University of Technology attended the meeting.
During this year's Antarctic expedition DML 2023/24, which the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat organises, a project is participating where the researchers seek to answer how Antarctica will develop in a future with a warmer climate. Part of the answer lies in the bedrock and erratics deposited by the ice sheet.
An expedition that was characterized by excellent cooperation, curious polar bears, tough ice conditions and extensive collection of valuable data. Chief Scientist Michael Tjernström sums up the Oden expedition ARTofMELT, carried out in the Arctic Ocean during May and June this year.
After the first field course held in Abisko in March 2023, it was time for a follow-up. This time, the training took place in the Stockholm area. Over three days in October, participants practised, among other things, safety in steep terrain.