CLIMATE SENTINELS | Expedition

What an incredible year 2021 has been. After years of hard work we finally saw the realization of our first expedition in Svalbard last April. An unforgettable four weeks in the field, battling the elements to better understand the melting of the Arctic snow and ice.

Ep. 17: another day, another storm Crazy winds pinned us down for 2 more days and 2 nights. This abnormal weather is slowing our progress and making every step more dangerous than the last. 📸@HeidiSevestre

Ep. 16: blue bird day Finally! The sun is shining, the temperatures have fallen right back down to where we expect them to be, this is Svalbard at its best. This is all well and good but another storm is coming, we need to find shelter ASAP. 📸@HeidiSevestre

Ep. 15: getting the hell outta there After two nights sheltering in the snow cave we realised that we had two options: either be stuck there for several more days or try to leave and ski down the mountains where the winds are less horrible. 📸@HeidiSevestre #Arctic #Storm

Ep. 14: "Winds up to 140 km/h" Our survival during our expedition was only made possible thanks to the amazing team of polar experts, scientists, friends from all over who sent us weather forecasts several times a day. 🎥 @HeidiSevestre #Storm #Blizzard #Arctic #Cave

Ep. 13: whiteout Def: "a condition in which daylight is diffused by multiple reflections between a snow surface and an overcast sky; contrasts vanish, and the observer is unable to distinguish the horizon or any snow surface feature." @HeidiSevestre

Ep. 12: crevasse land? The first glacier we had to ski on, Kongsvegen, had been gradually accelerating for years and we would likely be the first ones crossing its lower part on skis in 2021. 🎥 @HeidiSevestre @siljeglacialis

Ep. 11: The first days are always painful After a rather short night in the vicinity of Ny Alesund, we set off for a long day of skiing, aiming to get close to Kongsvegen. Our weather luck ran out pretty quickly and our afternoon and evening were bathed in horizontal snowfalls.

We would not have gone very far without our @fischerskis on our expedition! It was essential for us to show that science can be done differently, hence we travelled over more than 450 kilometers with these light and sturdy skis. Thank you Fischer Nordic!

Ep. 10 So it begins. I had thought about this moment for years. And here we were, starting to ski the streets of Ny Alesund while everyone was fast asleep. Exped day 1, the dream had finally become reality. 📸 @HeidiSevestre #Svalbard #Arctic #Adventure #STEM #pulkalife #skilife

Every wednesday we will reintroduce our amazing team, and today we are happy to celebrate @HeidiSevestre Heidi now works for the Secretariat of @AMAP_Arctic and continues to explore the tropical glaciers of the world with her project @TropicalGlacier ➡️climatesentinels.com/dr-heidi-seves…

Ep. 9: the expedition begins! After years of preparations, here we finally were, ready to embark on the MS Farm to reach NY Ålesund in NW Svalbard. Expedition Day 1 Let's go!! 📸 @heidisevestre #Svalbard #Arctic #Whiteout #Snow #Expedition #Science

Ep. 8. The sun always shines after the storm After several days stuck indoors because of the high avalanche danger we finally were allowed to do some training outside! 📸 @HeidiSevestre @siljeglacialis @NinaAdjanin #expedition #climate #extremeweather #Arctic

Every wednesday we will reintroduce our amazing team, and today we are happy to celebrate Dr. Dorothée Vallot! Since our expedition, Do and her family have movde to the french Alps where Do is working as a postdoc for SMHI based in Grenoble. climatesentinels.com/dr-dorothee-va…

Partie II! La deuxième partie du podcast Les Givrés des pôles avec @HeidiSevestre est sortie! Cet épisode évoque très largement les hauts et les bas de notre expédition. A vos walkmans! lesgivresdespoles.com/podcast/episod…

Ep. 7. Waiting for the storm to pass The thing with avalanche warnings is that you know when it starts. But never when it ends. Our expedition departure date was fast approaching but we were nowhere near ready. Still so much to pack :S 📸 @HeidiSevestre

We are often asked about the kind of clothes we were wearing on our expedition. - first layers: we wore @hellyhansen Lifa Merino midweight graphic crew - mid layer: a good fleece - over all of that: the three layered system of the @hellyhansen Arctic Patrol Modular Parka.

Ep. 6: Avalanche warning. These are sadly more frequent than they used to be up North. Our building up the valley had to be evacuated just before the start of our expedition. 📸 @HeidiSevestre #Svalbard #Expedition #Exploration

Every wednesday we will reintroduce our amazing team, and today we are happy to celebrate Dr. @siljeglacialis ! @siljeglacialis works at the Marine Research Institute in Bergen. Read how the expedition went for her: shorturl.at/mnwBP 📸 Nina Adjanin

Ep.5! 128 breakfasts, lunches and dinners to pack. Packing for the expedition is one serious business. #expedition #Arctic #Svalbard #food #Adventure #BTS

Today, we thank one of our most fervent sponsors, the @Hurtigruten Foundation ! Thank you for the great support towards our project. Read more about the amazing projects they are supporting: global.hurtigruten.com/about-us/csr/h…