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RV Kronprins Haakon navigating through Arctic sea ice

Photo credit: Dimitri Kalenitchenko/UiT

Expedition Overview

Between August 16 and September 19, 2025, the Norwegian research ship R/V Kronprins Haakon will set out into the Arctic Ocean as part of a major scientific mission funded by the European Research Council’s Synergy Grant, known as “i2B – Into The Blue.” Gathering a team of 25 scientists, the expedition will seek to uncover geological data from the seafloor, offering new evidence about how Arctic climates behaved during past warm phases in Earth’s history, especially around 130,000 and 400,000 years ago—periods when the Arctic was notably free of sea ice in summer.

Understanding these past natural climate phases will help answer urgent questions such as: What does a seasonally ice-free Arctic mean for the planet today? How will warming trends reshape the Arctic environment? What will be the broader effects on ecosystems and society? The i2B program aims to tackle these topics using modern technology, fossil records, and advanced climate modeling. The effort unites specialists from UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, NORCE Climate and Environment in Bergen, and the University of Bergen in Norway.

The Importance of This Research

• As the Arctic reacts rapidly to global warming, researchers are striving to better grasp the full consequences for both the region and the world.
• Each year, Arctic summer sea ice melts earlier and refreezes later, with forecasts indicating summers could be ice-free before 2050.
• This shift brings numerous environmental concerns—from warming waters and changing ocean chemistry to wildlife disruptions, methane emissions, and shifting geopolitical boundaries.

Goals of the i2B Arctic Expedition

• Recover detailed sediment cores from various Arctic sites to reconstruct historical temperature changes, sea ice extent, and ocean circulation during warm interglacial periods.
• Compare ancient patterns with current conditions to determine how previous transitions to ice-free seas occurred.
• Assess whether we may be nearing a climatic tipping point based on lessons from the deep past.

About the Expedition Team

• Expedition will be led by co-chief scientists Jochen Knies and Stijn De Schepper.
• The research collective includes 25 experts from nine different nations.