We left the Greenland Sea in a rush! After searching for ice-free waters and mapping those during a 24-hour long station, we had to leave the sea ice due to upcoming bad weather.
Text: Jochen Knies, chief scientist NGU/CAGE. Photos: Mauro Pau, researcher, CAGE.
November 27, 2020
Southerly winds and a high chance of thick sea-ice ridges left us with no alternatives. Unfortunately, we did not reach the Greenland shelf region, and thus we were not able to document the leaking methane. A winter cruise towards Greenland is simply too unpredictable, but the experience we have gained during the past days will help us to get better prepared for forthcoming opportunities. Still, happy faces everywhere with the material we have collected.
Not many cruises before have achieved what we have collected during the last days. This is material that will help us find out how far the Greenland ice sheet has expanded towards the North Atlantic Ocean during the last ice age. And, more importantly, how fast the ice has melted away in the past. After plenty of night shifts, we took it easy for the final days easy with time for football and group photos.
We thank the captain and crew onboard RV “Kronprins Haakon” for all their support and we looking forward to more Arctic cruises in the coming years.
