{"id":3925,"date":"2019-11-11T12:47:18","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T11:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/?p=3925"},"modified":"2023-04-04T10:31:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T08:31:05","slug":"searching-for-aurora-with-national-geographic-on-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/2019\/11\/11\/searching-for-aurora-with-national-geographic-on-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for Aurora with National Geographic on Board"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>National Geographic joined a nerve-wracking scientific expedition to furthest realms of the Arctic Ocean, to investigate the Aurora Seamount. The goal of the expedition: to see what creatures live in this remote region. Are these Arctic animals linked to animals in other regions of the planet?<\/h4>\n<h6>Text: Maja Sojtaric<\/h6>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/science\/2019\/11\/if-alien-life-exists-in-solar-system-may-look-like-this-aurora-hydrothermal-vent\/\">The article about the HACON expedition is published in National Geographic.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Speaking of Aurora, most people will think of the Northern Lights, the spectacular celestial displays frequently seen in the Arctic. Scientists in the <a href=\"https:\/\/haconfrinatek.com\">HACON project<\/a>\u00a0 travelled to the northernmost part of the world, searching for Aurora. But not the one in the sky: They were gazing into the vast depths of Arctic Ocean to figure out what exotic creatures live in the cold waters close to the North Pole.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAurora is a seamount on the ocean floor, <a href=\"https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/facts\/seamounts.html\">a volcanic structure containing hydrothermal vents.<\/a> It can be found on the 83\u00b0N on the Gakkel Ridge which forms a tectonic plate boundary between the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate&#8221;, says chief scientist and leader of the HACON expedition, professor Stefan B\u00fcnz at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and its Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3931\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3931\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3931 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/08_map_hacon-track_sofia-ramalho_copy-1024x977.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"977\" srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/08_map_hacon-track_sofia-ramalho_copy-1024x977.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/08_map_hacon-track_sofia-ramalho_copy-300x286.jpg 300w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/08_map_hacon-track_sofia-ramalho_copy-768x733.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/08_map_hacon-track_sofia-ramalho_copy.jpg 1224w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3931\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aurora hydrothermal vent is found on Gakkel Ridge, in the High North of the Arctic Ocean. Map Illustration of RV Kronprins Haakon&#8217;s journey from Longyearbyen on Svalbard shows the distance covered by the ship. Greenland on the left. Illustration: Sofia Ramalho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;The Aurora is on this ridge, 4 km below the surface of the ocean, and it is permanently covered by sea ice. The air temperature in the area was as low as -20\u00b0C when we were there and demands on technology and crew are huge. Therefore, the area is not very well examined at all.\u201d says professor B\u00fcnz.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3987\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3987\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3987 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/01-sea-ice-sunset_alexander-eeg-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/01-sea-ice-sunset_alexander-eeg-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/01-sea-ice-sunset_alexander-eeg-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/01-sea-ice-sunset_alexander-eeg-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/01-sea-ice-sunset_alexander-eeg-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/01-sea-ice-sunset_alexander-eeg.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3987\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Extreme, and extremely beautiful working conditions at 83 degrees North. Photo: Aleksander Eeg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Black \u201csmoke\u201d from ocean chimneys<\/h3>\n<p>It is mainly its unapproachability that made Gakkel Ridge so interesting for the scientists in the first place. The new Norwegian icebreaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hi.no\/en\/hi\/about-us\/facilities\/our-vessels\/kronprins-haakon\">RV Kronprins Haakon<\/a>\u00a0 and deep-sea camera and ROV technologies from <a href=\"https:\/\/epic.awi.de\/id\/eprint\/46560\/\">Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)<\/a>\u00a0 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whoi.edu\/what-we-do\/explore\/underwater-vehicles\/nereid-under-ice\/\">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution<\/a> made it possible for the seamount to be examined.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3988\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3988\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3988 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/03-nui_sea-ice_arctic-ocean_stefan-buenz-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/03-nui_sea-ice_arctic-ocean_stefan-buenz-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/03-nui_sea-ice_arctic-ocean_stefan-buenz-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/03-nui_sea-ice_arctic-ocean_stefan-buenz-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/03-nui_sea-ice_arctic-ocean_stefan-buenz-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/03-nui_sea-ice_arctic-ocean_stefan-buenz.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/576;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3988\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle, Nereid Under Ice (NUI) was developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, specifically to tackle environments such as the sea ice covered Arctic Ocean. Photo: Stefan Buenz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The HACON expedition aimed to examine hydrothermal vents on Aurora, inspired by a brief but tantalising video that was made available from a previous cruise on board the <a href=\"https:\/\/epic.awi.de\/id\/eprint\/37141\/1\/BzPM_0685_2015.pdf\">German icebreaker RV Polarstern<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cOurs was a high-risk, high-gain type of expedition. Anything could go wrong. But any new observations and samples would greatly increase our understanding of exotic ecosystems that are fuelled by energy from the interior of the Earth, existing in the darkness four kilometers away from the ocean surface, and covered by sea ice.\u201d says the coordinator of HACON-project, deep-sea ecologist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niva.no\/en\/Employees\/eva-ramirez-llodra\">Eva Ramirez-Llodra<\/a> at\u00a0 \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.niva.no\/en\">Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revocean.org\/\">REV Ocean<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/terms\/mid-ocean_ridge.htm\">At mid-ocean ridges,<\/a>\u00a0 such as Gakkel Ridge, the cold seawater penetrates through cracks on the seafloor. It gets heated by the magma chamber beneath the ridge, and its chemistry is modified. This scorching fluid (normally around + 350\u00b0C) is then expelled back into the water column. As it gets in contact with the cold and oxygenated deep-sea water, it appears as black smoke coming out of chimneys.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3989\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3989\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3989 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra-700x700.jpg 700w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/04-aurora-smoker_ofobs_awi_eva-ramirez-llodra.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/1024;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3989\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is not an image of a starry sky, but rather a picture of a black smoker from the Aurora vent field, showing an active chimney and old inactive chimneys that have fallen down. At 4000 meters below the ocean floor, the darkness is complete. Photo: OFOBS\/AWI\/Eva Ramirez-Llodra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>A pathway for exchange of genetic material<\/h3>\n<p>The chemicals in these fluids, such as hydrogen sulphide or methane, are used as source of energy by micro-organisms in this pitch-dark world, to produce organic matter. It works in the similar way as plants on land use solar energy for photosynthesis. This is called chemosynthesis and it sustains the exotic animals that thrive at hydrothermal vents.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3990\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3990\" style=\"width: 788px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3990 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/05-aurora-seamount-flank_illustration_autun-purser-788x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"788\" height=\"1024\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/05-aurora-seamount-flank_illustration_autun-purser-788x1024.jpg 788w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/05-aurora-seamount-flank_illustration_autun-purser-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/05-aurora-seamount-flank_illustration_autun-purser-768x998.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/05-aurora-seamount-flank_illustration_autun-purser-1920x2494.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/05-aurora-seamount-flank_illustration_autun-purser.jpg 1576w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 788px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 788\/1024;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3990\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration of the life forms that exist close to the Aurora vents. Artist: Autun Purser\/AWI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOur hypothesis was that the\u00a0Gakkel Ridge\u00a0provides a\u00a0connecting pathway\u00a0for gene flow between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, with species moving from vent to vent along the ridge in their larval form, braving many obstacles in the ocean. The data collected from this cruise will help improve our understanding of this process and the role of the Gakkel Ridge in the global distribution of different vent species.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/haconfrinatek.com\/blog\/\">Summary blog post<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>From the Arctic smokers to life on frozen moons<\/h3>\n<p>Nadia Drake, a writer for National Geographic and Luis Lamar director of photography for Avatar Alliance Foundation (funded by the director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0000116\/\">James Cameron<\/a>) were in for the entirety of the expedition, spending a month on the ship getting in and out of sea ice.<\/p>\n<p>Vent related microbiology and chemical components in the sea ice were of interest for astrobiologists from<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/\"> NASA&#8217;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/a>, and a microbiologist from <a href=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/employee\/dimitri-kalenitchenko\/\">UiT\/CAGE,<\/a> who are developing programs to look for life on the frozen oceans of moons like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/news.php?feature=7510\">Enceladus<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/europa.nasa.gov\/\">Europa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3996\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3996\" style=\"width: 683px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3996 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/hrh156-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/hrh156-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/hrh156-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/hrh156-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/hrh156-1920x2880.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/hrh156.jpg 1365w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 683px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 683\/1024;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3996\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CAGE postdoc Dimitri Kalenitchenko (centre at the bow ) joined NASA&#8217;s research group, looking closer into the sea ice chemistry and biology. The aim is to use the knowledge of Earth&#8217;s ice-covered oceans, and transfer it to understand the ice covered moons and planets in our solar system. Photo: Robin Hjertenes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThere were eleven scientific institutions represented on the cruise, with focus on life in ice-covered oceans. Ecology, micropaleontology, oceanography, geochemistry, you name it we had it on the cruise. But astrobiology was a completely new field for me, with an interesting perspective!\u201d says Buenz, who himself is a geophysicist.<\/p>\n<h3>Nerve-wrecking days in the ice<\/h3>\n<p>The scientists are gushing about the great collaboration within the scientific team and media on board, and the exceptional skills of the officers and crew. They are, however, still shaky from the encounters with the sea ice \u2013 which was non-collaborative to put it mildly.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3993\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3993\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3993 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/13_polar-bear_sea-ice_robin-hjertenes-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/13_polar-bear_sea-ice_robin-hjertenes-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/13_polar-bear_sea-ice_robin-hjertenes-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/13_polar-bear_sea-ice_robin-hjertenes-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/13_polar-bear_sea-ice_robin-hjertenes-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/13_polar-bear_sea-ice_robin-hjertenes.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">There were many challenges with the sea ice. Including the beasts that live on it. Photo: Robin Hjertenes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u00abEvery day was a planning headache. We were in the sea ice and the ice is constantly moving with formidable and extremely unpredictable force. The ice may look flat and uniform, but the floes crack, thaw and refreeze, making the ice several meters thick in some places and paper-tissue thin in others.\u201d says Stefan Buenz.<\/p>\n<p>Working on the vent site, while drifting with the ice was<a href=\"https:\/\/haconfrinatek.com\/2019\/10\/08\/finding-a-needle-in-a-haystack\/#comments\"> like looking for a needle in a haystack<\/a>. However, the ice conditions were often favourable, and the scientists could submerge a high definition camera over the black smokers, taking invaluable video and high definition images that will allow them to better understand these remote ecosystems.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3997\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3997\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3997 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/16_anemone_highlight_ofobs_awi_hacon2019-1024x765.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"765\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/16_anemone_highlight_ofobs_awi_hacon2019-1024x765.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/16_anemone_highlight_ofobs_awi_hacon2019-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/16_anemone_highlight_ofobs_awi_hacon2019-768x574.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/16_anemone_highlight_ofobs_awi_hacon2019.jpg 1520w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/765;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3997\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A starkly white creature on top of seemingly barren ocean floor. This anemone lives close to the hydrothermal vents of Aurora vent field. Photo: OFOBS, AWI.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<blockquote><p>\u00abBy the end of the expedition there was a huge ice floe on top of the vent that would not move away. For three days we waited patiently, but we had to give up eventually and exit\u00a0 through a labyrinth of ice floes. It has been a challenging, rewarding and successful cruise and we will definitely do it again.\u201d Says Eva Ramirez-Llodra.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3992\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3992\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3992 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/02-scientific-team_alexander-eeg-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/02-scientific-team_alexander-eeg-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/02-scientific-team_alexander-eeg-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/02-scientific-team_alexander-eeg-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/02-scientific-team_alexander-eeg-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/492\/2019\/11\/02-scientific-team_alexander-eeg.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3992\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The scientific team of the HACON expedition in front of the icebreaker RV Kronprins Haakon. Photo: Aleksander Eeg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National Geographic joined a nerve-wracking scientific expedition to furthest realms of the Arctic Ocean, to &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/2019\/11\/11\/searching-for-aurora-with-national-geographic-on-board\/\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u00abSearching for Aurora with National Geographic on Board\u00bb<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123546,"featured_media":3928,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Searching for Aurora with National Geographic on Board - CAGE, Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.uit.no\/cage\/2019\/11\/11\/searching-for-aurora-with-national-geographic-on-board\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Searching for Aurora with National Geographic on Board - CAGE, Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"National Geographic joined a nerve-wracking scientific expedition to furthest realms of the Arctic Ocean, to &hellip; 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