Changes in the Arctic environment are already affecting every person on our planet, including in the UK, through sea-level rise, changes to our climate and weather patterns, and threats to biodiversity and services provided by the ocean.

As a world leader in marine modelling, biodiversity research, sensor technologies and marine autonomy, we have been involved in Arctic research for several decades, working to understand the global impacts of a warming Arctic.

Our Arctic Mission is bringing together our unique multi-disciplinary expertise and technologies to make an important contribution to the International Polar Year 32/33.

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Keen to learn more?

Get in touch with Arctic Mission Lead, Dr Jo Hopkins arctic at noc.ac.uk.

Our research focus

Our research in the Arctic and sub-Arctic seas gains fundamental understanding of how the Arctic environment is changing and the local-global scale impacts that this is having. Through this, we provide the knowledge that society needs to protect people and economic infrastructure from hazards, and to maintain a healthy and biodiverse ecosystem.

Our multi-disciplinary Arctic science and technology is focused around four main themes:

  • Arctic Ocean climate, ecosystems and biodiversity

    We seek fundamental knowledge about the physical, chemical, ecological, and sedimentological processes shaping the Arctic Ocean and its connections to land, ice, and atmosphere, both within the Arctic Ocean and at its land-ice-ocean-atmosphere boundaries. We work to understand core Arctic climate, ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity baselines against which trends and change can be assessed.

    Arctic Ocean climate, ecosystems and biodiversity

  • Global impacts of a changing Arctic

    As the Arctic warms, the physical environment, biodiversity and connectivity of the Arctic Ocean and ecosystem are already shifting. We may be approaching Tipping Points, which would have consequences for weather, climate and ecosystems and be felt across both local and global scales. Our research targets understanding and more confidently predicting how, why, where and the speeds at which trends and modified patterns of variability will manifest themselves, how the Arctic ecosystem will respond and what the impacts might be for global climate, marine ecosystem services and local populations.

    Global impacts of a changing Arctic

  • Arctic Ocean hazards and resilience

    As glaciers retreat, sea-ice declines, permafrost melts and temperatures rise, marine related hazards in the Arctic are increasing. Our research focuses on improving knowledge, prediction and identification of the impacts of coastal erosion, storms, ice movement, harmful algal blooms, gas hydrates and geo-hazards. This is essential to inform how we mitigate and adapt to these hazards.

    Arctic Ocean hazards and resilience

  • The impact of human activity in the Arctic

    As the Arctic becomes more accessible, its Blue Economy potential will grow and through resource extraction, pollutants, tourism, transport and infrastructure developments, the human footprint in the Arctic will continue to increase. We seek to understand what the consequences, scale and knock-on impacts of expanding human activity are in order that the health and biodiversity of the Arctic can be protected.

    The impact of human activity in the Arctic

Technology for Arctic Science

We are at the forefront of technological innovations that are transforming our ability to explore, observe and better predict change in remote and extreme polar environments.

Marine Autonomy and novel sensors

Our Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) group is pioneering cutting-edge robotic solutions designed to operate reliably in the harshest polar conditions. We are advancing the navigation capabilities, endurance and reliability of our gliders and long-range Autosubs so that we can explore and collect unique data from under Arctic sea-ice and make observations throughout the winter months. These remote locations and traditionally inaccessible times of the year and are the least observed and understood.

Our sensors and samplers, designed to measure carbonate chemistry, nutrients, eDNA and gases, are robust enough to survive the ice-cold conditions – while integrated into autonomous platforms and deployed on moorings.

Technology
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Technology

Ocean modelling and digital science platforms

We develop and run an advanced suite of regional to global Arctic Ocean models that simulate ocean, ice, biogeochemical and marine ecosystem processes at ultra-high resolution. They provide understanding and predictions of the Arctic Ocean in its present-day state and can project future potential changes out to the end of the century.

Our models are driven by atmospheric winds, heat and precipitation and include key land processes such as glacial melt, iceberg discharges and river inflows. Importantly, they also include ocean tides and systems to represent shelf cascading, ocean convection and mixing. They capture small but important ocean features like eddies, jets, fronts, and openings in sea ice. The ecosystem components target the lower trophic levels of the marine ecosystem and the biological carbon pump.

Technology
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Arctic projects

Projects that we’re leading or collaborating on:

International Polar Year

The 6th Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear that change in the Arctic is affecting ecosystems, economies and human well-being around the world. The attention of governments and policy makers is therefore increasingly shifting towards the North.

The 5th International Polar Year (IPY 2032/33) is bringing together the community to tackle major knowledge gaps in polar science and develop effective strategies to mitigate and adapt to rapid environmental change.

Our Arctic Mission will bring together our multi-disciplinary science, technology and engineering teams to provide critical science to underpin the IPY32/33. In collaboration with our UK and international partners, both longstanding and new, we will design and deliver multi-platform, multi-sensor, and multi-season programmes, with a strong focus on ambitious under-ice exploration. When coupled with our expertise in marine modelling and digital platforms we aim to drive transformative science in one of the world’s most challenging regions.

Our Arctic leads

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Latest papers

Support our Arctic Mission

Changes in the Arctic environment are already affecting every person in the UK and across our planet. With your support, we can further our internationally renowned science to understand some of the biggest threats to society and help our ocean to thrive.

To learn more about the vital role of philanthropy in Arctic science and how you can support our work, contact Hannah.Symons at noc.ac.uk.