Travel report: NPI Arctic Ocean Cruise II – August 10-29, 2023

Per-Henning Mathisen: 24 years from Nesseby. Recently completed teacher education 8-13 at UiT, with a master's degree in Nordic languages. One of four Sámi pathfinders in the next year.

Aurora Heim: 21 år fra Tromsø. Tar en bachelor i Havteknologi-ingeniør ved UiT. Tidligere Samerådets All-Atlantic Ocean Sámi Youth Ambassador.

Hello!

We have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to participate in a research cruise in the Arctic Ocean organized by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) together with 12 other bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. students! The expedition's objective has been to take various ocean, ecosystem, and sea ice samples and contribute to data collection in the marine research field. In this travel report, we will describe our experience of the journey.

We arrived in Longyearbyen on 9 August, where we met the other participants. Before we could board, we took safety courses in water and were given the necessary equipment and clothing. After a night at a hotel, we finally boarded the FF Kronprins Haakon. The first days were spent getting acquainted and getting information about the ship and the organization of the research cruise. All participants, researchers, and staff at NPI also had so-called Pecha Kucha presentations about themselves as an "icebreaker" to get to know each other.

After leaving Longyearbyen, work started on collecting data from various stations. We were then divided into groups, and each group was put on different work areas that we eventually took turns on. Among other things, we have taken CTD samples of the water from different depths in the ocean, measured fish, sorted zooplankton, and identified phytoplankton through a microscope. Every day, we have gathered in the auditorium for daily updates. This is also where we had an academic program with presentations, both from the participating students and researchers at NPI. Per-Henning contributed with a presentation on Sámi language and culture and how climate change in the Arctic may affect Sámi livelihoods.

Crown Prince Haakon is a research vessel with several facilities that we used when we were not doing lab work or other station work. The ship has a gym, sauna, table tennis, and library, among other things. We were also both fascinated by the visual expressions inside the ship. Each deck is categorized thematically with parallels to the natural environment and adorned with species based on where in nature they live: underwater, in the sea ice, on land, in the air, or in the sky. We both stayed on the deck with the theme of "underwater". On the door of Per-Henning's cabin was the species Euphausia superba (Antarctic krill), and Aurora's cabin was called Anarhichas lupus (grey catfish). In addition, we appreciated seeing Sámi art on the walls on board FF Kronprins Haakon, including art by Britta Marakatt Labba and John Savio.

Throughout the research cruise, we have followed various transects. At 84 degrees north, the northernmost point we were at, we stopped to find safe ice. We were given separate shifts, so there were always three of us standing on the bridge scouting for polar bears while the rest were on the sea ice. On the sea ice, we extracted blocks of ice and tried to listen for marine mammals. It was absurd to think that we were standing on sea ice 4,000 meters above the seabed.

After we headed from the northernmost point back towards Svalbard, and all the samples had been taken, we made several stops along the way. Our first stop was Moffen island, where we watched walruses. We were also lucky to see a flock of dolphins swimming right by the ship. We then stopped at Smeerenburg, where we had initially planned to go ashore to see traces of former settlements and other cultural heritage, but for safety reasons, this was taken off the program as a polar bear was observed in the immediate area. Instead, we headed for Ny-Ålesund, where we visited the Norwegian Polar Institute's new research premises and Ny-Ålesund Museum. We ended our visit to Ny-Ålesund with a spontaneous evening bath on the shore and sauna inside the ship.

We ended the expedition with a day in Longyearbyen. Among other places, we went to the Svalbard Museum and the Science Park in Svalbard, where we were presented with a summary of the work done during the cruise. We also had a joint dinner in the evening with all the participants and the whole crew. Among other things, quizzes were arranged, speeches were held, and an entertaining song was performed that some of the participants wrote during the research cruise.

This has been an incredibly educational, inspiring, and eventful research cruise that we are very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in. We are left with new knowledge, good friendships, and memories for life. What made the biggest impression on us, however, was when the speaker inside the ship sounded "Polar bear, Polar bear, Polar bear," and two polar bears appeared on the ice right next to the ship that we could see up close.

Greetings

Aurora and Per-Henning