Polarstern shrouded in darkness

The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition will make a major contribution to Arctic climate science. Spearheaded by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), it is the biggest polar expedition of all time. It involves the Polarstern German research icebreaker spending a year trapped in the sea ice so that scientists from around the world can study the Arctic as the epicentre of global warming and gain fundamental insights that are key to better understand global climate change – and ESA is contributing with a range of experiments. During the polar winter, researchers are subjected to temperatures as low as –45°C and the perpetual darkness.