In conjunction with the Swedish-Canadian research expedition Arctic Ocean 2016, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat invited researchers in the early stages of their careers to participate in the expedition under the auspices of the Early Career Scientists Programme (ECSP).

The Early Career Scientists Programme  (ECS) was an initiative to provide researchers in the early stages of their careers with the opportunity to gain experience, knowledge and contacts that will benefit their own research projects and careers in the future.

The nine participants came from various universities and each has previous experience of marine or polar research. During the expedition, they had the opportunity to work within a specific area of research with a senior researcher acting as their mentor. This allowed them to gain extensive training and experience of marine field methods in a polar environment.

The opportunity to delve into timescales covering tens of thousands of years presented an intense yet fresh perspective

Participating in the Early Career Scientists (ECS) programme 2016 was of immense significance to my career. Whilst it was an intense and challenging six weeks, the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of data acquisition on board a leading research platform in one of the remotest regions of the world was invaluable. Arctic research demands an inter-disciplinary, international and collaborative dynamic. Supported by senior scientific and technical experts, the ECS programme facilitated fruitful discussions that have already been transformed into additional projects and meetings at major conferences.

My work involves unravelling the geological origins of the Arctic Ocean over millions of years. This requires a recipe that integrates a wide range of datasets, and studying the age and characteristics of seafloor sediments is one of the key ingredients. Coring, sampling, describing and logging sediment were all new skills for me, and the opportunity to delve into timescales covering tens of thousands of years presented an intense yet fresh perspective. The Arctic Ocean 2016 expedition also highlighted the relevance and intersection of basic and applied research.

At the North Pole, I found myself more than 14,000 km from my hometown in Australia, and this trip has only fuelled my ambition to continue my research career.

Grace Shephard
Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), University of Oslo, Norway

Other ECS participants in the sediment, coring and properties package

Luz Maria Mejia Ramirez
Department of Geology, Universidad de Oviedo, Spain

Steffen Wiers
Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden

Mentor

Martin Jakobsson
Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden

The guidance, suggestions and support that I received from my mentor were invaluable

I consider the Early Career Scientists (ECS) programme on board the icebreaker Oden to be one of those once in a lifetime experiences. Thanks to this programme, a young Caribbean scientist, who had no previous polar research experience, was given the opportunity to plan and execute a sampling campaign concerning microplastic pollution in the Arctic Ocean. Participation in the ECS programme was invaluable in that it allowed me to gain field experience of sampling Arctic waters, sea ice and sediments for microplastic. In addition to the field sampling, I also gained experience of processing these samples on board a research vessel.

An important feature of the ECS programme was the pairing of participants with a mentor. The guidance, suggestions and support that I received from my mentor Katarina Gårdfeldt during the planning and execution phases of my research during the Arctic Ocean 2016 expedition was invaluable. Furthermore, the ECS programme fostered an environment in which young researchers were able to build up a professional network of their peers and other scientists. Overall, the ECS programme has been of immense benefit to my research career in that it has allowed me to (i) gain experience of conducting research in polar regions, (ii) forge collaborations with international scientists and (iii) expand my scientific network. On a more personal note, this programme has allowed me to witness the incredible beauty of the Arctic and it is my hope that future generations will also have such opportunities.

La Daana Kanhai
Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Ireland

Mentor

Katarina Gårdfeldt
Department of chemistry and chemical engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

Hands-on experience of fieldwork in boundary-layer meteorology, aerosol physics and climate science in the Arctic

The Early Career Scientists (ECS) programme provided us with hands-on, practical experience of fieldwork in boundary-layer meteorology, aerosol physics and climate science. The diverse measurements we conducted included vertical profiling of the atmosphere using balloon-mounted radiosondes, measurements of incoming and outgoing radiation at the surface and sampling of airborne aerosol particles. The close collaboration and teamwork within the work package ensured a seamless exchange of knowledge between all team members, broadening our understanding of the measurement techniques used.

The ECS programme benefited our careers in several important ways. It provided a great opportunity to work with other participants and leading scientists and forge future collaborations in both our own fields and across disciplines. Perhaps most importantly, the programme provided real experience of proposing and developing our own research ideas and of addressing the practical challenges involved in putting those ideas into practice in the field. In particular, valuable lessons were learned in terms of being flexible and adaptable in order to obtain the best possible measurements.

Anna Fitch
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Norrköping, Sweden

Piotr Kupiszewski
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, Sweden

John Prytherch
Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Mentor

Michael Tjernström
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, Sweden

The expedition roused my interest in the region – I recently obtained funding to study the sedimentary processes of the Arctic Ocean

I participated in the Arctic Ocean 2016 expedition on board icebreaker Oden as a part of the Early Career Scientists (ECS) programme and was a member of the geophysical mapping team.

Our team controlled three mapping systems that recorded data about the water column, the seafloor and the sub-bottom of the Arctic Ocean in order to make profiles showing the morphology and structure of the seafloor. As watch-keepers, we ensured that the quality of data acquisition was high throughout the whole expedition. Despite my previous experience from other expeditions, the harsh physical environment of the Arctic Ocean presented a challenge for the data acquisition. The ECS programme allowed me to learn more about the operation of the acoustic systems, which are used to better understand sedimentary processes in the region, as well as the data processing sequence.

Before the expedition, the Arctic Ocean was an unknown area for me. My plan was to apply my previous experience to a new area and thus integrate my knowledge in the field of data collection. However, the expedition roused my interest in the region. I recently obtained funding to study the sedimentary processes of the Arctic Ocean, which is taking my career in a new direction.

Lara F. Pérez
Geophysics, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark

Other ECS participants in the geophysical mapping and water imaging package

Evgenia Bazhenova
Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA

Mentor

Martin Jakobsson
Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden