The Geographic North Pole expedition saw my two team mates and I ski and snow shoe (and sometimes swam) over 500 miles from Cape Discovery to the Geographic North Pole in just 51 days, collecting valuable scientific data for the University of Plymouth.

The Science Conducted

1.1 Aims and objectives of North pole seawater sampling

Determine concentrations of sea ice specific chemicals (IP25) in the water column beneath high Arctic sea ice during spring.

1.1.1 Selection of filtered seawater samples.

Collection of filtered seawater samples using plankton net tows was carried out during Vertical plankton net tows were collected from 48 m from 14 stations (Figure 1). Plankton net tow conditions are summarised in Table 1. Sampled water volumes were estimated by combining the area of the net mouths with the depths of each tow.
Vertical plankton net tows were collected using either a small circular net (30 cm Ø) with 20 µm mesh towed at ca. 25 cm s-1 by hand.

Table 1. Arctic Ocean plankton tow collection data from north of Ellesmere Island to the North Pole, 2010.

Filtered seawater samples collected by Antony Jinman were collected using basic equipment (30 cm diameter; 20 µm mesh plankton net) and straightforward manual techniques (hand drawn ca. 25 cm s-1 vertical tows) chosen to replicate a similar study carried out in 2008 in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago as part of the International Polar Year – Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) system expedition (http://www.perc.plymouth.ac.uk/pegg/staff/brown_ta/tabrown.htm). Net tows were carried out from ca. 48 m water depth beneath the permanent sea ice of the northern Arctic Ocean. Once collected the end-mesh of the net was removed and stored in centrifuge tubes at ambient temperature (< 0°C) to combat difficulties of working in the extreme cold without laboratory facilities.

Chemical biomarkers of interest were analysed at Plymouth University, UK by Dr Thomas Brown and Prof. Simon Belt in the Biogeochemical Research Centre (BGC).
Samples collected north of Ellesmere Island, to near the North Pole (89°53N), yielded no detectable concentrations of the sea ice algae indicator; IP25 within the top 50 m of the water column beneath multiyear sea ice. This was expected since the thicker sea ice and snow prevent most sun light reaching where the algae would normally live directly beneath the ice. A suite of non-specific common fatty acid biomarkers were detected, yet were very low in concentration (Figure 2).

1.2 Conclusion

The expedition carried out in 2010 by Antony Jinman was considered to be a great success and has contributed significantly to our understanding of the presence of sea ice algae in the northern Arctic Ocean. Although the results revealed an absence of the sea ice algae chemical IP25, this has important implications for the continued use of this novel chemical in Arctic environmental studies. As such, we wish to thank Antony for their efforts in obtaining these valuable samples and enabling us to further extend our understanding of this important environment.

——————————————————-
Dr. Thomas A. Brown
Biogeochemistry Research Centre
School of Geography Earth and Environmental Sciences (SoGEES)
Rm 627 Davy Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
UK
Thomas.Brown@plymouth.ac.uk
Tel. – +44 (0)1752 584558
www.pegg.org.uk
——————————————————-

The happiest of my life was reaching the Geographic North Pole and I just wanted to share a few videos of the experience with you all. At 29 this will not be my last north pole expedition, being on the arctic ocean was a fantastic time in my life.

Training video on Dartmoor;