The call for proposals is now open. The deadline for submission is 2 June 2025, 12:00 CEST (noon).
About the CASCADES Expedition
The CASCADES expedition is a joint initiative of the Institut Nordique du Québec (INQ), the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) and the French Polar Institute Paul-Émile Victor (IPEV) aiming to foster scientific collaboration between the scientific communities of Switzerland, France and the Canadian programme Transforming Climate Action (TCA).
The expedition will focus on the coastal region of West Greenland, Baffin Bay and Ellesmere Island. It will be carried out in two legs of 28 days each during summer and autumn 2026 onboard the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen.
The call for the CASCADES Expedition is now open
The deadline for submission is 2 June 2025, 12:00 CEST (noon).
Applicants should submit their proposal using the application form and the SPI application portal.
| 18 March | Call for proposals opens - download the full call document here (pdf) |
| 2 June, 12:00 CEST (noon) | Proposal submission deadline |
| October 2025 at the latest | Notification to applicants |
| 6 August 2026 | Start of Leg 1 |
| 3 September 2026 | End of Leg 1 |
| 29 October 2026 | Start of Leg 2 |
| 26 November 2026 | End of Leg 2 |
Research topics
- Interactions between the atmosphere, coastal glaciers, sea ice, the ocean and terrestrial ecosystems along the land-to-sea continuum of NW Greenland and Baffin Bay.
- Impacts of glacial meltwater on the physical and ecosystemic functioning of Greenlandic fjord systems. Emphasis will be placed on a few rapidly retreating glaciers (see below), with respect to (A) the characterisation/mapping of marine habitats, (B) the biodiversity, biological productivity and health of marine ecosystems, and (C) possible adaptation strategies for coastal communities.
- Transfer of freshwater, carbon, macronutrients, trace elements (micronutrients) and pollutants (e.g., plastics, chemicals) to the broader marine environment of Baffin Bay through the local and regional ocean circulation.
- Dynamics of early sea-ice formation and colonisation by organisms with associated impacts on sympagic and oceanic biogeochemistry, vertical mixing and convection, and air-sea gas exchange.
A call for complementary projects on the FOREL Research Platform will be issued in spring 2025. More details will be available upon the publication of the call.
Geographic focus
The expedition will focus on the coastal region of West Greenland, Baffin Island and Ellesmere Island.
- The first leg (south to north along the West Greenland coast) will provide sampling opportunities along oceanographic transects and a latitudinal spread of glacier/fjord environments, including the possibility for land deployments.
Fjord systems/glaciers of interest include:- Jakobshavn area (Disko)
- Kjer/Alison/Hayes group
- Melville/Tracy/Heilprin group
- Peterman
- Inglefield Land/ Humboldt
Fjords to be investigated will be selected from the list above based on the science projects selected for the expedition.
- The second leg will concentrate on sea-ice formation in the western Baffin Bay and in the Davis Strait. The working areas for this leg will be defined based on ice conditions and remain open at this stage. This leg will focus on open ocean work and thus not be suitable for land deployments other than on an opportunistic basis.
Eligibility
Eligibility for application is limited to researchers based at public research institutions. Principal Investigators (PIs) must be affiliated to a French or Swiss public research institution or be a member of the Canadian TCA programme based at Dalhousie University, Université Laval, UQAR and Memorial University. Collaborations between Canadian (TCA), French and Swiss teams are particularly encouraged.
- Please refer to the full call for proposals document for exhaustive information on the CASCADES Expedition, including access to the vessel, eligible costs, permits, and the submission process.
Contact
For questions related to this call, we welcome your emails at grants@swisspolar.ch.
