Bergen team on a challenging research cruise to the Arctic Ocean
What is hidden on the seabed 5,000 meters under the ice in the Arctic Ocean? Researchers from the Center for Deep Sea Research at UiB will try to find an answer to this during a month-long cruise this summer. – This will be incredibly exciting because we know very little about either geology or biological life in the area, says Professor Rolf Birger Pedersen.
Pedersen will lead the expedition which, due to thick ice, will undoubtedly be the most demanding operation in his more than 40 years as a researcher. The expedition with the research vessel FF Crown Prince Haakon is part of the national GoNorth programme; https://www.sintef.no/projectweb/gonorth/.
A team of seven people who will operate a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) and six researchers and students are participating from Bergen. Also on the journey are researchers from NTNU, SINTEF, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the Norwegian Polar Institute and NORCE.
– The purpose of this trip to Norway’s outer border to the north will be to obtain knowledge about the geological development of the Arctic Ocean, and about how geological and biological processes here affect the ocean’s environment.
Leader in deep-sea research
In recent decades, the deep-sea researchers at UiB have been at the forefront of research into the deep sea areas on the Norwegian continental shelf. In 2021, they could gather their interdisciplinary expertise in one interdisciplinary center with financial support from the Trond Mohn foundation. This gives the researchers the opportunity to carry out research cruises with modern vessels and use the best available technology for mapping rock formations and minerals.- For us, it is a clear objective to provide knowledge and an overview of both dynamic geology of the deep seas and of the ecosystems, which so far are little known in the ice-covered areas of the Arctic Ocean, stresses Professor Steffen Leth Jørgensen, who earlier this year took over from Rolf Birger Pedersen as head of the Center for Deep Sea Research.
Foto Melanie Burford
– We must remember that the interaction between geological and biological processes has been the governing factor for the development of the earth and life. Knowledge of this interaction is fundamental to our understanding of how the Earth – and life on Earth – functions as an interconnected system.
The dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at UiB, Gunn Mangerud, is proud that the Center for Deep Sea Research has been given the task of leading the research expedition in the Arctic Ocean. – This confirms that UiB has broad marine research expertise. We wish you the best of luck and look forward to learning more about the results from the journey in unknown and demanding waters.
Anne Marie Haga, acting CEO of the Trond Mohn foundation, also has great expectations. – The Trond Mohn foundation supports the Center for Deep Sea Research with the expectation that the knowledge base on the deep sea will be as broad and good as possible.
The Norwegian Ocean strategy Blue Opportunities
The Arctic program GoNorth is part of the government’s marine strategy, “Blue opportunities”, where presence and knowledge-building are key elements. Last autumn, an expedition was carried out north and west of Svalbard, and a research trip is also planned in 2024.
From the start of July 2023, daily reports will be published on the expedition blog: https://www.sintef.no/projectweb/gonorth/daglige-rapporter-fra-toktet2/
Facts about the Trond Mohn Foundation and the Center for Deep Sea Research
The Trond Mohn Foundation is Norway’s largest non-profit foundation that supports research in Norway. The activities of the foundation are based on donations from Trond Mohn, Marit Mohn and Frederik Mohn. The foundation has a capital base of approx. NOK 3 billion, and since its start in 2004 has given support to over 200 research projects with a total of NOK 1.7 billion. The projects are based on the universities’ and university hospitals’ own professional assessments and prioritization of important research fields and are quality assessed (peer reviewed) by international experts.The Trond Mohn Foundation supports the Center for Deep Sea Research at UiB with NOK 16 million in the period 2021 – 2026. UiB has set aside around NOK 88 million for salaries and running the interdisciplinary research centre. About. 40 researchers are associated with the centre.
You can also read about the expedition in the newspaper Bergens Tidende (bt). – in Norwegian
