The Ice Team members have all reached the North Pole before, so this project is
not about getting to the Pole, but rather about securing relevant scientific data.
The choice of route has been dictated by the need to obtain the maximum amount of
data possible along a scientifically relevant transect. The North Geographic Pole
was the natural end point. The team will be travelling on foot, hauling sledges
from 81°N 130°W, across 1,000-km of disintegrating and shifting sea ice, for around
100 days, in temperatures from 0ºC down to -50°C.
The Operations Team, prior to departure, met with
Professor Wieslaw Maslowski
of the Department of Oceanography at the Naval Postgraduate School, California and
Professor Peter Wadhams
of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University
of Cambridge.
Discussions centred on the scientific validity and likely ice conditions along the
route. It was agreed that the proposed route (80°N, 140°W) was very interesting
in terms of data collection. Ground truth data is rare at these latitudes and of
particular interest to the scientists is the fact that the Catlin Arctic Survey
will provide winter sea ice data.
start point gallery, photos of team and expedition.
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Sunday, 15th February 2009
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Mission driven
Posted by
Pen Hadow
Of a bewildering array of thoughts swimming around in my head today, one has struck for the surface, indicative of the gel that holds us together....more
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Monday, 02nd February 2009
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Thursday, 29th January 2009
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Countdown
Posted by
Tori Taylor
The clock keeps ticking and with every strike we draw closer to the date when Pen, Ann and Martin will leave 'us' the support team, in the UK to embark on the survey of our lifetimes....more
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Monday, 26th January 2009
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Travelling back
Posted by
Ann Daniels
As I travel back from Qikiqtarjuaq I reflect on another adventure in the magnificent Arctic. A memory to treasure when I can no longer travel to the ends of the earth!...more
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Wednesday, 21st January 2009
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