Chapter 0: Why a flight computer? At the daring frontier of science, deep within the Extreme Environments Research Laboratory (a.k.a. EERL), we chase clouds and wrestle with aerosols in the wildest corners of the planet – the polar regions! Our secret weapon? A helium-filled tethered balloon that gracefully ascends into […]

At the end of September 2025, two years after my last visit, I left Montréal and boarded a flight to my field site: the mining settlement of Schefferville and the adjacent Innu community of Matimekush-Lac John. The journey included brief stopovers in Québec City and Sept-Îles to collect additional passengers […]

As predicted, the journey plan to Antarctica was evolving as dynamically as the extreme team dynamics data we expected to uncover in such an extreme context. The volatile Antarctic environment seemed to have transcended into the polar mindset. However, after months of preparations and several days of anticipation in Punta […]

Flying over the Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen, Svalbard) is always an intense moment. This was my second mission for the project The greening of Arctic lake shores under the effect of climate change: a new hotspot for benthic cyanobacteria, yet every arrival feels new: the Arctic never looks the same twice. By […]

As part of our art and science collaboration in the context of the PolARTS programme from Swiss Polar Institute and Pro Helvetia, we (Pauline Agustoni and David Janssen) had the chance to travel to Southern Greenland for a three-week field trip from 24 June until 15 July 2025. For a […]

Lakes are complex ecosystems that host diverse microbial communities, with aerosols, water, and sediments each serving as distinct habitats supporting unique bacterial populations. These habitats offer valuable perspectives on microbial dynamics across spatial and temporal scales. Bacteria are the most abundant life forms in cold lakes, where they play vital roles such as degrading organic matter and contributing to primary production, making them fundamental to the structure and functioning of the trophic chain. Arctic lakes are highly dynamic systems subjected to extreme environmental conditions – including prolonged ice cover for much of the year, intense winds, and heavy snowfall.

A dream come true – after months of preparation and intense exchanges with Benjamin V. Gaglioti and Margaret M. Darrow from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, my trip to the last frontier finally started in May 2023. A few days in Fairbanks first, a big shopping trip to one of […]

Introduction TEMPERA-C is a microwave radiometer designed to measure microwave radiation from oxygen emissions at a frequency of 53 GHz. The resulting microwave spectra are used to retrieve atmospheric temperature profiles up to the mesosphere, reaching altitudes of approximately 60 km. During a test campaign, TEMPERA-C was deployed to take […]

Travelling across West Greenland is probably one the most unique experiences I had the chance to live. Sharing seven weeks of fieldwork in a couple of lines is not an easy task but let’s start with the beginning – the reunion with Brandon, my field mate and friend from the […]