Greenland expedition 2024: GEOEO!

It's time to return to the Arctic Circle for more high latitude acoustic science! 

This year our field works brings us to Northern Greenland for the North Greenland Earth-Ocean-Ecosystem Observatory (GEOEO) expedition. We start by flying into Thule, Greenland and board Icebreaker Oden at the US Air Force base. We then head north, through Nares Straight towards the Lincoln Sea with the goal of reaching Victoria Fjord at the very top of Greenland. GEOEO begins in early August, just in time for the polar summer AKA 24 hours of daylight! 

Photo of Icebreaker Oden taken by Martin Jakobsson.

The expedition will have over 40 scientists, all working toward to the primary scientific theme of GEOEO: better understanding the interactions between ice-ocean-land in Northern Greenland, their impact on North Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics (in the past and into the future), and contribution of the North Greenland Ice Sheet to global sea-level rise. The overarching theme is actually broken down into seven working goals:

1. Unraveling the Late Glacial to Holocene history and dynamics of the North Greenland Ice Sheet
2. Providing new insight into the variability of the marine cryosphere of North Greenland and the adjacent Arctic Ocean
3. Investigating the interaction between ecosystem community composition, anthropogenic dynamics and climate fluctuations
4. Quantifying ecosystem production and nutrient state in changing marine ecosystems north of Greenland
5. Mapping of the remote ocean frontiers
6. Mapping the presence of gas hydrates in marine sediments and gas in the water column and atmosphere
7. Numerical modelling of the ice-ocean-atmosphere-geodynamic system

Liz will join the geophysical mapping team, which includes Dr. Larry Mayer and Dr. Brian Calder of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, to specifically address goals 2, 4, and 5 using the acoustic mapping systems onboard Icebreaker Oden. The mapping systems are run 24 hours a day, for the full 45 days days of the expedition by a team of six scientists (sitting in 8 hour shifts). 

In addition to mapping the seafloor and water column from Icebreaker Oden, Liz and the geophysical mapping team will also deploy an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV), the Echoboat - name TBD. ASV Echoboat has two mapping systems onboard, along with a conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensor and hydrophones. It will work near to the ice (a dangerous location) to collect information on underwater melting rate!

Liz testing out ASV Echoboat in California before it is shipped to IB Oden.

Stay tuned for more updates on research, life-aboard, interviews with the science team, and fun photos of marine mammals. You can find more information on the cruise at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat website here!

This expedition is supported by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, NOAA Office of Exploration Research, and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center at the University of New Hampshire.