GoNorth 2025 research cruise

According to Captain Karl Robert Røttingen, this was the most weather-challenged cruise the RV Kronprins Haakon has ever undertaken. The ice-breaker sailed straight into bad weather from the very start of the voyage, taking sediment samples on the way north until the sea became so rough that all operational activities had to be suspended. The ship also encountered demanding conditions on the return back to Tromsø at the end of the trip.

Despite the weather and trouble with one of the engines, the expedition nevertheless yielded a rich scientific output. This was achieved by continuous adaptation to the Arctic conditions that characterized every decision along the way. Some of the highlights include:

- the work to illuminate seafloor structures that have been poorly understood until now. A seismic survey over the East Greenland Ridge and two adjacent structures will help reconstruct the deep geological history of the area, by imaging both the seafloor and the layers below.

- surveys of selected areas along the seismic lines and rock samples collected by the ROV to determine what the seabed is made of. Much of the analysis work will begin after the expedition is over, when the bathymetric, seismic, gravimetric and magnetic datasets will be processed and analyzed in detail.

- the collection of sediment samples. At depths of up to 4,000 meters, and at times in rough seas, this task is far from easy. Nevertheless, sampling during this expedition was very successful, with full cores from almost every attempt.

- microbial analyses and the analysis of pore fluid to understand microbial life in the deep. This expedition brought together the largest number of biologists on a GoNorth expedition to date looking at a range of different organisms.

All the details for this summary were recorded by Daniel Albert who was onboard the cruise. For more detailed daily reports, visit the GoNorth website at: Gonortharctic.no