Now, 150 years later, a science expedition team will follow in the same path as of professor Nordenskiöld to research and document the changing climate in the Arctic. Will it even be possible to retrace his footsteps? The team will set off on an unsupported expedition and expect to be out for approx. 35 days to complete the journey and conduct climate science to compare findings today with those made by Prof. Nordenskiöld 150 years ago.
Route Challenges
A decision about which route that is feasible can only be made in late winter 2022.
Due to the warming of the polar regions, it is impossible to recreate the original route taken by Nordenskiöld.
The route has been possible only for short gaps, compared with almost the entire winter just 20 years ago.
Receding ice in the polar regions has a major environmental impact as the sea ice and ice caps help regulate the earth’s temperature by reflecting much of the sun’s energy back into space. Without this ice, global warming will speed up.
The receding sea ice is an important topic and it is crucial to this expedition. Due to the uncertainty of its availability, we have planned several alternative routes that cater to different ice conditions (below).
Original route – 550km
The original route of 550km taken by Prof. Nordenskiöld in 1873 is close to impossible to safely recreate today due to climate change. To pass on skis from Spitsbergen to North East Land on skis involves passing Hinlopen Strait, which just a few decades ago often was frozen in winter but now has drift ice coming and going throughout the winter.
New alternative route – 330km
A route of 330km across Spitsbergen starting from Mosselbukta where Nordenskiöld and his team started in 1873 and finishing in Longyearbyen. This route starts from Nordenskiöld’s exact starting point but cannot include North East Land due to global warming and the melting Arctic. This route will be used if unfavorable conditions are predicted for reaching North East Land by boat or if unsafe sea ice is expected north of North East Land or due to other safety concerns. This route is estimated to be achievable in approx. 25-30 days (including time for scientific research-
Read more on the expedition webpage: Climate Expedition and Film | The Jubilee Expedition
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