2 yıl önce

Why did Turkish scientists go all the way to the Arctic?

During the sea voyage, scientists worked on 14 different projects at two dozen different sampling points.

AA

Data were collected for the projects such as zooplankton and phytoplankton sampling, determination of pollutants in the sea, and monitoring of seawater physical parameters.

Turkish scientists have completed an expedition in the Arctic Ocean, breaking ground on new projects and collecting reams of data along the way.

The crew returned from their mission on Tuesday, 22 days after a boatful of nine people set sail on the Arctic Ocean with a PolarXplorer research vessel on July 4.

The expedition is under the coordination of the MAM Polar Research Institute, part of the Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Türkiye (TUBITAK).

Ersan Basar, the expedition’s deputy leader, said they crossed the Barents Sea, north of the coast of Norway, and worked on 14 different projects at two dozen sampling points.

Basar said the crew also set out for Norway's Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

Stressing that the PolarXplorer vessel is ideal for marine work, he said they traveled over 3,700 kilometres (2,000 nautical miles).

AA

The crew also collected data on atmospheric pollution observations in the marine area on subjects including microplastics, meteorological observations, and environmental effects of shipping trade routes.

Working on the Arctic Ocean

During the voyage, the crew faced a number of challenges, Basar said, including swells and storms at sea.

Underlining that they will deliver the samples to Türkiye for examination at laboratories, he said scientists could benefit from these studies and produce scientific articles and reports.

Working on the Arctic Ocean had the advantage that they could work 24 hours a day, he said, with the downside that their sleep routine and biorhythms were disrupted.

Ozgun Oktar, a Turkish crew member, said they carried out projects on monitoring human-driven pollution and the Arctic ecosystem.

Saying that he has been visiting Earth’s polar regions since 2016, he added: "It's very sad to see how things have actually changed with each passing year compared to the previous one.”

SOURCE: AA