In 1893, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen left Norway on a mission to drift across the North Pole. His vessel, the Fram, had been specially designed with a rounded hull so it would sit on top of the Arctic ice, gently ferrying its crew over the Arctic.
Nansen never made it to the North Pole, but after three years locked in the ice, the Fram emerged in the North Atlantic Ocean. The voyage was the first in history to complete a successful transpolar drift, proving the Arctic was one large ocean without a significant land mass.
Since Nansen鈥檚 expedition, only a small handful of adventurers have followed in his footsteps, most recently a team of scientists who, in 2019 and 2020, spent a year locked in the ice aboard the German icebreaker .
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Instead, researchers have relied on data from satellites, summer expeditions and winter ice camps to track changes in the Arctic. But the rate of ice melt in the region 鈥� which is 鈥� is making ice camps increasingly dangerous, with residents of one research camp north of Svalbard as the ice broke under their feet.
That leaves the Arctic largely unmonitored during the period running from November to February, says at the Tara Ocean Foundation, a French NGO. 鈥淲e have basically no information鈥� for a large part of every year, he says. 鈥淲hich is alarming, considering it is such a fragile place and it is changing so rapidly.鈥�
Tara Ocean Foundation鈥檚 solution is to build a drifting shelter for research teams 鈭� modelled on Nansen鈥檚 designs for the Fram. Called the Tara Polar Station, it is designed to withstand harsh Arctic winters, where temperatures can drop to -50掳C. At a cost of $23 million, the 26-metre boat features a domed living area, a rounded hull and a removeable keel, allowing the ship to rise and settle atop the ice.
Its crew members will live in relative comfort; Tara Polar Station features a gym, a sauna and fully equipped laboratories. There is even a 鈥渕oon pool鈥� that allows the researchers direct access to the ocean without having to drill into the ice.
The hope is that the will function as a floating laboratory, allowing scientists to take continuous measurements from the deep Arctic throughout the winter, says Bowler. 鈥淭he inspiration was really to build a shelter that could shelter scientists through the polar night, through an entire season in the Arctic,鈥� he says. He describes the project as an Arctic version of the International Space Station: 鈥淲e expect to develop Tara Polar Station like an international facility, that scientists can apply to use.鈥�
Construction, which began in 2023 and was funded mostly by the French government, is almost complete. The vessel is undergoing sea trials this year before embarking on its first planned transpolar drift in September 2026. The crossing will set off from the seas north of Russia and emerge east of Greenland.
Selection is underway for that expedition鈥檚 crew. Tara Ocean Foundation is on the hunt for 12 people 鈥� six sailors and six scientists 鈥� willing to complete a seven-month stint aboard the station during the polar winter. A fresh team will relieve them for spring and summer.
The expedition is not for the faint of heart, Bowler warns. 鈥淭he people we select need to be psychologically very sound,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey need to be strong, because it鈥檚 pretty hostile 鈥� you are at the extremes of what humans can withstand in these conditions.鈥�
It is not just psychological and physical strength that is needed. 鈥淭he people on board will have to get the screwdrivers out, open things up, poke around and fix things,鈥� Bowler says. 鈥淲e need people who are very good at DIY, very practical people.鈥�
If all goes to plan, the new station will complete 10 two-year drifts over the next 20 years, building a valuable database of observations and analysis describing this rapidly changing region. Researchers will focus on everything from the declining levels of sea ice to changes in cloud cover and microbiological disruption to Arctic food webs, says Bowler.
鈥淥n the one side, we will certainly be telling a very, very sad story, the loss of summer sea ice, potentially the loss of different kinds of organisms,鈥� says Bowler. 鈥淏ut we will also be learning a huge amount about this amazing ecosystem, that we know very little about.鈥�
