TÜBİTAK’s work in polar research continues unabated. The second National Arctic Science Expedition, the first of which was held in 2019, will take place from July 4 to 25, 2022, starting in Norway and covering the Arctic Ocean within the Arctic Circle.
Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, expedition coordinator and director of the TÜBİTAK MAM Institute of Polar Research, Burcu Özsoy, the team arrived in Norway. After first paying a visit to Norwegian Ambassador Fazlı Çorman, they boarded the 42-meter-long research vessel PolarXplorer, flying the Norwegian flag, in the city of Tromsø.
This week, an 8-person crew is aboard a ship heading from Norway toward the Arctic Ocean. The TASE II team will conduct a variety of research activities in the Arctic Ocean over the course of about a month, including atmospheric measurements, observations of marine life and sea ice, and the collection of meteorological data, all as part of marine science research.
In addition to the research to be conducted, the expedition team, which will also sail around the Svalbard Archipelago, will once again underscore the importance of our country’s participation in the Svalbard Treaty. The Treaty in question also provides participating states with opportunities to conduct scientific research.
As part of the project, the following researchers were on board the ship: Prof. Dr. Ersan Başar from Karadeniz Technical University; Captain Özgün Oktar and Captain Doğaç Baybars Işıler from the TÜBİTAK MAM Institute of Polar Research; Dr. Atilla Yılmaz from the Black Sea Technical University; Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sözen from Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Öztürk from Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University; and Elif Özge Kızıl and Şebnem Coşkun from Anadolu Agency. Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy is serving as the expedition coordinator, and dozens of researchers from numerous institutions and organizations are participating in the expedition as part of the upcoming monitoring projects.
A total of 14 projects will be carried out as part of the expedition. These projects will involve the collection of a wide range of scientific data and observations, ranging from the study of climate change—which is particularly pronounced in the Arctic Ocean—to the measurement of various parameters in the oceans.
Turkey, which has conducted numerous scientific research projects on the Antarctic continent, has successfully completed a total of six expeditions to Antarctica, and one of its objectives with this second expedition to the Arctic is to enhance its scientific capabilities at the North Pole. The Institute of Polar Research, operating under the umbrella of TÜBİTAK, is carrying out initiatives aimed at enhancing scientific capacity by providing many scientists and researchers with the opportunity to work in the polar regions, as well as achieving a prominent position among other countries worldwide.
