The International Siberian Shelf Study (ISSS-2020) is a Russian-Swedish expedition in which twelve researchers from Stockholm University and the University of Gothenburg participate in an expedition to the East Siberian Arctic Ocean. There, they will study greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost, something that can accelerate global warming.
One of the biggest uncertainties about global warming is how “natural” greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide (N2O) will increase from thawing permafrost in the Arctic and collapsing methane hydrates in the seabed north of Siberia. The ISSS-2020 expedition has ten research programs. The common purpose is to increase knowledge about how these large but difficult-to-access systems are structured and how they work. Researchers want to make scientifically sound predictions of how natural greenhouse gas emissions will increase in the coming decades.
The ISSS-2020 expedition is part of the International Siberian Shelf Study Program, which has a fifteen-year history with several successful expeditions to the East Siberian Arctic Ocean. This includes SWERUS-C3 (Climate-Cryosphere-Carbon interactions) with the Swedish icebreaker Oden 2014.
Contact
Expedition leader: Örjan Gustafsson, Orjan.Gustafsson@aces.su.se, +46 70 324 73 17
Deputy expedition leader: Birgit Wild, Birgit.Wild@aces.su.se, +46 76 561 00 02
Onshore contact during expedition period: Henry Holmstrand, Henry.Holmstrand@aces.su.se, +46 73 696 10 37
Facts about ISSS-2020
- Purpose: to investigate how “natural” greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide (N2O) will increase from thawing permafrost the Arctic and collapsing methane hydrates in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf
- Expedition period: September 26 – November 4, 2020 (40 days)
- Ship: r/v Akademik Keldysh (Russia)
- The geographical area of the expedition: East Siberian Arctic Ocean
- Expedition leader: Örjan Gustafsson, Professor at the Department of Environmental Science and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research
- Support from the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat: clothing and loans of satellite phones
Follow the expedition
- Web: https://www.aces.su.se/research/projects/the-isss-2020-arctic-ocean-expedition/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISSSarctic2020
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcticexpedition.isss2020/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ISSSarctic2020
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Russian-Swedish expedition will study greenhouse gas emissions
Eleven researchers at Stockholm University and the University of Gothenburg will participate in an expedition to the East Siberian Arctic Shelf where they will study greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost, which can accelerate global warming.