Arctic team starts quest to solve ice riddle

The Catlin Arctic Survey team sets off to Resolute tomorrow, where it will make final preparations before beginning its gruelling three-month journey. Hadow, Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley will haul sleds weighing up to 120 kilos, carrying ice drills and specially designed ice-penetrating radar equipment to take comprehensive measurements of the ice thickness and density, as well as gather atmospheric and water readings.

“This is important data at a critical time for the Arctic,” says Neil Hamilton, Director of WWF International’s Arctic Programme. “This is the only on the ground information about ice thickness coming out of the Arctic this year. Satellites give us good indications about the extent of the ice, but this expedition will produce solid information about its thickness and density. These measurements are important for our understanding of how long the ice will last.”

Sea ice has been on a melting trend since satellite tracking began in the late 1970s. The last two summers have seen the lowest coverage of summer sea ice ever recorded.

“This is something scientists cannot do for themselves. It takes experienced Arctic travellers, using both advanced technology and traditional explorers’ ways to collect this information,” says Hadow. “It is a difficult and potentially dangerous trip, but we believe that the benefits to science are worth the risks.” During the 90-day trek the team expects to be swimming between floes for up to 150 hours where the ice has broken up.

The trend of diminishing Arctic sea ice raises fears for entire Arctic ecosystems that depend on it, from single-celled organisms, all the way up to larger animals. The polar bear was recently listed as threatened by the United States government, based on projections for the disappearance of the ice. The sea ice is critical to the stability of the global climate, as it reflects 80 per cent of the sun’s energy, whereas open water absorbs it. Without sea ice, the sun’s rays will be absorbed, accelerating the warming of the Arctic and the entire world, leading to unpredictable weather patterns and rising sea levels.

“The scientists we are working with at the Catlin Arctic Survey are recording rapidly receding ice,” said Neil Hamilton, WWF Arctic Programme. “I only know what I have seen myself during my time on the Arctic Ocean, but if we succeed in re-connecting exploration with its origins in science, it will be a job well done.”

WWF believes that the data produced by the expedition will help persuade governments that urgent, immediate and effective action on reducing greenhouse gases is necessary to limit Arctic ice loss, and its global effects.

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For photos, video, blogs and to follow the expedition in real time visit: www.catlinarcticsurvey.com
· Photos available from www.catlinarcticsurvey.com/media_centre Use Password mEt2adRu
· Broadcast B-Roll video can be downloaded from: http://dev.indigopapa.tv/clients/catlin/ (This is a large file and the material cannot be viewed in a browser).

For more information:
Neil Hamilton, Director WWF International Arctic Programme, +47 93 00 56 60
Rod Macrae, Catlin Arctic Survey Media Office, +44 781 402 9819 Email: [email protected]