Turkish scientist team starts Arctic mission to explore climate impact

Türkiye's Fourth National Arctic Scientific Research Expedition has arrived in Tromso, Norway to start the expedition at 71 degrees north latitude.

The team was organised under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency, Ministry of Industry and Technology and with the coordination of TUBITAK MAM Polar Research Institute.

The delegation consisting of 11 people will set off with the 62-meter (203 feet) Norwegian-flagged Polar Xplorer ship in Tromso and will carry out sampling and studies for 16 projects at 24 points in the Arctic Ocean for about one month.

Scientists will investigate the causes and effects of global climate change in areas where rapid results have been observed in the polar regions, with assessments and sampling, notably in the marine area.

Researchers will also be able to observe the similarities or differences between the two polar regions by conducting marine sampling they conducted in the Arctic Ocean during the Eight National Antarctic Science Expedition in the South Pole earlier this year.

Studies will be carried out for air and atmosphere, physical sciences and life sciences, as well as marine sciences.

Studies seek to explain climate crisis effects

Professor Burcu Ozsoy, coordinator of the Fourth National Arctic Scientific Research Expedition, spoke to Anadolu ahead of the expedition.

"Every year we increase our scientific studies in the region with new projects.

"We have started to experience the 1.5-degree warming scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

With the studies we will conduct, we will better understand what these effects are in the Arctic,” he said.

Professor Ersan Basar, leader of the expedition, said: "There are 16 marine science projects in our projects this year. There is also a Bulgarian and a Chilean scientist on our expedition."

"After leaving Tromso by ship, we will complete our expedition in Longyearbyen in the Svalbard archipelago and return to our country by plane.

"During our expedition, many projects in the field of marine sciences are being carried out. After the data and samples related to these projects are collected, we will take them to laboratories and examine them," he said.

Scientific projects in space

Underlining that Türkiye organises scientific expeditions in the south pole of Antarctica and the Arctic in the north every year, he underscored: "These projects are carried out with bilateral studies. Scientists carry out some of their projects in both the Arctic and Antarctica at the same time. This allows us to see the changes in the polar region more easily.

"Some of our research in space studies are also carried out in Antarctica at the same time. We carry out scientific projects in space, in the polar regions in the south and north," he added.

Prior to the cruise, the scientific committee was given onboard training on the research vessel.

Stressing the importance of the training, Dogac Baybars Isiler, deputy leader of the expedition, said: "On the ship, we provide sea survival training. Before the ship starts sailing, we expect all expedition participants to be prepared for the ship and sea conditions and to master the safety rules.

"In this context, immersion suit training has already been given. The main purpose here is to ensure that all expedition participants get a solid grasp of all safety rules and have the capacity to apply them in a possible situation," said Isiler.