Frozen in the Ice: Arctic Exploration

Why would hundreds of scientists from around the world deliberately freeze a ship in Arctic sea ice for a year, bravely enduring sub-zero temperatures and months of polar darkness? It might sound like the plot of a fictional adventure film, but from September 2019 to October 2020, the Arctic research expedition MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) did just that. In this course, you will hear directly from MOSAiC scientists and Arctic experts about why this expedition is so important to advancing our understanding of the Arctic and global climate systems, and what types of data they will collect during MOSAiC on the ice, under the sea, and in the air. The course begins with an examination of the geography, climate, and history of Arctic exploration, and then introduces students to the major components of the Arctic system: the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, and ecosystems. You will also learn how the data collected during MOSAiC will be used to improve climate model predictions. Finally, we will conclude the course by exploring the challenges facing the new Arctic, including how Arctic Indigenous Peoples have different influences on the changing Arctic environment.