An expedition to the Arctic in search of the missing climate puzzle
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On September 20, 2019, Research Vessel Polarstern departed from the Norwegian port of Tromsø, bound for the Central Arctic, the focal point of climate change, for the largest Arctic expedition ever.
Led by Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), MOSAiC - Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate - followed in the trail of Norwegian researcher and explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who set sail on the first-ever drift expedition to the geographic North Pole with his wooden sailing ship 'Fram' (Forward). Polarstern was allowed to become trapped in the Arctic ice, and let the forces of nature guide the icebreaker. Over the course of the expedition, which lasted for just over one year, 442 researchers, Polarstern crew members, teachers, and investigators, from around 20 countries (usually working in 2-month rotations) took part. The project was led by atmospheric scientist Markus Rex of AWI.