The Icebreaker Oden

The global warming is particularly rapid and pronounced in the Arctic, causing loss of land- and sea-ice, thawing permafrost, coastal erosion, and release of greenhouse gases that have far-reaching environmental and ecological consequences. However, critical observations from the polar regions are still lacking, particularly in and over the polar ocean.

Icebreaker Oden is a research platform that provides access to the sea-ice covered parts of the polar oceans, which are accessible to only a few research icebreakers in the world. Oden has made it possible to positioning Swedish polar science at the international forefront.

This proposal serves to maintain Oden at the international top of polar-class research vessels by upgrading, complementing and further developing its research infrastructure.

The proposal is structured around aligned but independent modules representing observational platforms: acoustic mapping; atmospheric observations; water sampling and analysis; and petrography and enviromagnetics.

The scientific aims of the infrastructure investments are twofold: First, to enable collection of high-quality data necessary for understanding the polar environment, and its past evolution and future changes.

Second, to consolidate Icebreaker Oden as a platform for international multi-disciplinary expeditions, designed to fill critical knowledge gaps of the Arctic Ocean´s unique climate and ecological systems.

Nationally, a broad range of scientists in ecology and biology, and Earth science disciplines such as oceanography, marine geology, and meteorology across many universities and research institutes will use and benefit from the proposed infrastructure.

Added value includes scientific advancement through national and international collaboration in future multi-disciplinary expeditions on icebreaker Oden.

The proposal includes an additional specific module that will ensure swift open-access publication of the acquired data.