As part of PONANT’s Science Program, 20 scientists from across the world embarked on the first ever crossing of the Arctic Ocean from west to east.
Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, PONANT’s luxury icebreaker and the only one in the world, researchers undertook multi-disciplinary missions to study the impacts of global warming on the rapidly changing polar region, engaging passengers in the process.
Specifically designed for expeditions to extreme environments, Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s only luxury icebreaker, has a Polar Class 2 hull that enables the ship to navigate in polar regions while her hybrid electric propulsion powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) helps minimise her impact on the environment. The vessel has two laboratories (dry and wet) equipped to collect and analyse water, ice and air samples. A new SIMS (Sea Ice Monitoring Station) antenna is constantly measuring the thickness of the ice.
“This large-scale multi-disciplinary operation brought together 20 scientists of seven nationalities from 11 universities and institutes, leading six missions in fields such as the carbon cycle, the physics and biogeochemistry of the Arctic Ocean, ecosystem functions and microplastics,” PONANT Science Program scientific coordinator, Daniel Cron, said. “It was a real challenge to coordinate the different types of samples, at all times of the day and night, and adapt to unknown ice conditions.”
On board, scientists shared their knowledge and experience during talks and podcasts organised as part of the “Science Talks”. These enriching exchanges allowed guests to actively participate, particularly by observing the process of sample collection from the ice pack. The programme included seven scientific talks translated into English, French, and Mandarin, five round tables, and two film screenings followed by Q&A sessions.
This year, guests are invited to join a team of scientists on a similar transarctic expedition, experiencing firsthand the thrill of discovery in one of the most remote ecosystems on Earth with its Transarctic, the Quest for the Two North Poles. It departs Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen to Nome, Alaska on 5 September with 20 nights on board Le Commandant Charcot.
