Our journey to the North Pole began in Tromsø, Norway, where we boarded the research vessel Polarstern on August 9, 2024. As I stood in line, I struck up a conversation with the person next to me, only to realize he would be my cabin mate for the next two months. It was a bizarre feeling, meeting a stranger and knowing we’d share a room for such a long time.
Once everyone was on board, we set sail, navigating out of the fjords. Over the following days, we got to know each other, familiarized ourselves with our new home, and settled into our workspaces. The ship was bustling with activity as we organized the vast amount of equipment needed for our expedition. Despite the ship being only 118 meters long, I found myself moving a lot, according to my phone’s health app. The numerous stairs on board certainly contributed to that! We made a brief stop in Longyearbyen, Svalbard to calibrate our sensors in the fjords. During our stay, we recorded a temperature of 20.3°C on August 11 at about 78°N, breaking the previous August record of 18.1°C in Svalbard. This stark reminder of the rapidly changing Arctic climate fueled our determination for the research ahead.
Our first major destination was north of Siberia, initially planned as our third and final transect. However, thanks to up-to-date satellite images and daily weather forecasts from our meteorologists, we took advantage of the low ice coverage in the area. As we left the fjords of Svalbard, we entered the sea-ice region, marking the territory of polar bears.
On transect three, we began our extensive water sampling program using a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) rosette. This device not only measures these properties but also collects water samples from depths of over 4000 meters, bringing them to the surface for analysis. A routine quickly emerged as we worked around the clock to make the most of our time. The Arctic summer’s continuous daylight made it easier to work at unusual hours, with the sun never setting but hanging low above the horizon, creating beautiful, continuous sunsets and sunrises.
After completing our high-resolution transect north of Siberia, we had to break through thick ice to reach our second transect (watch video below). Our speed varied greatly, ranging from 15 km/h in thin or ice-free areas to a slow crawl in three to four-meter-thick ice, which occasionally brought the ship to a standstill. During these times, we had to reverse and ram the ice multiple times to break through. As we made progress, we steadily drew closer to the North Pole.
Approaching 90°N, the excitement was palpable as everyone gathered on the bridge, eagerly awaiting the moment we reached the pole. Reaching the North Pole felt like a special milestone, even though the icy landscape looked very familiar. We anchored to an ice floe and stayed for two days, allowing scientists to take ice core samples. As we drifted with the ocean currents, we already started to slowly move back towards the North Atlantic.
In closing, I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who made this expedition unforgettable. Special thanks to Ben Rabe (expedition leader), Walter Geibert (co-expedition leader), and the Alfred Wegener Institute. I also thank my PhD supervisor, Núria Casacuberta Arola, for her guidance and support, and the Swiss Polar Institute for financial support through the Polar Access Fund. Lastly, thanks to ETH Zurich for funding my PhD (grant number 22-2 ETH-028).
Marcel Scheiwiller is a doctoral student in Physical Oceanography at the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. His field trip took place in summer 2024 with financial support from a Polar Access Fund.