EXTREME26 is underway
The EXTREME26 scientific expedition left Tromsø on 12 May 2026 to research Arctic cold seeps and their role in shaping deep-sea ecosystems.
Published: (Updated: )
Onboard the RV Kronprins Haakon are Mari Heggernes Eilertsen, Christian Nilsson and Selma Eriksen from the Centre for Deep Sea Research and the CBE Arctic project together with 24 other scientists and students from around the world. The mission of the two-week expedition is to deepen the understanding of cold seeps within the broader dynamics of the Arctic Ocean. At cold seeps, hydrocarbon-rich fluids seep out of the seafloor at ambient seawater temperatures. These form the foundation for chemosynthesis-based ecosystems -- unique deep-sea environments where specialized microbes use chemical energy instead of sunlight to produce food. The expedition is posting daily progress updates on their Instagram page @extremes_arctic.
Update: A storymap of the expedition in ArcGIS is posted here (external link) with highlights from each day of the trip.
