No one has ever laid eyes on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. For the first time in the history of humankind, a scientific team—using unique underwater and under-ice vehicles—will try. Join our expedition this summer on a potentially historic and groundbreaking (and certainly icebreaking) research cruise aboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden. At the top of the world, the Arctic Ocean is cold, remote, and covered in darkness for half the year. It’s hard enough to get onto the ice-covered ocean. It’s even harder to get under it and down to its seafloor. For this 40-day cruise to the Gakkel Ridge in the eastern Arctic Ocean, engineers have built two new robotic autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The two vehicles, called PUMA and Jaguar, are designed to be put into holes in the sea ice and to explore the deep reaches of the Arctic Ocean. Many hours later, they will have navigate back to another hole in the ice and be recovered by the icebreaker. Scientists are excited about what they might find. The Arctic Ocean floor may be different than other oceans—including deep-sea life forms never seen before, or “living fossils” of species that existed when life on Earth was just beginning to evolve. You can follow what happens on this cruise each day through our photojournals—and perhaps witness history unfold. |