The Arctic’s once impenetrable ice cap is melting away, with profound consequences for everything from ocean circulation patterns to fish numbers and diversity. The Nansen

In July 1873 some nets were put out by whalers in Raudfjorden in Svalbard, to obtain food. They had expected to catch Arctic char but ended up filling the nets with cod.

Norway has always been a polar nation. The search for Arctic marine natural resources gave Norwegians early experience and knowledge of Arctic waters, which were

While you are still enjoying the warm summer and a rich selection of fruits and berries, a large-scale preparation for winter is happening further North.

Photo: Ann Kristin Balto / Norwegian Polar Institute The annual report for 2018 is ready, and can be downloaded here. The first year of the

The sea ice extent in the Barents Sea was back to normal this winter. A paradox? Actually not. This text was published in Aftenposten (online

September onboard the research vessel Lance north of Svalbard. Kristen, our mooring engineer, is happy. There is no sea ice to be seen anywhere – ideal conditions to find the instruments we left here two years ago attached to a rope, anchored to the seafloor, and held upright under water by several buoys.

Fridtjof Nansen set out to explore the Arctic Ocean with the research vessel Fram 126 years ago. His team of explorers and scientists returned from the ice three years later with new knowledge that changed our concepts and understanding of the Arctic Ocean, and made the Arctic part of Norwegian identity.

Central to the fieldwork of the project is the research vessel Kronprins Haakon. It has been built to operate in challenging ice conditions, which means it can go

Two interesting PhD positions available in the Human Impact: Pollution task of the Nansen Legacy project, one at UiO and one at UNIS.

The UK-based project Changes of the Arctic Ocean Seafloor (ChAOS) joined the last Nansen Legacy research cruise with two scientists from the University of Leeds, UK. Mark Zindorf and Allyson Tessin describe their work and motivation to join the Nansen Legacy cruise.

The Arctic Frontiers Partnership Network seminar Green Solutions for a sustainable future took place in Shanghai recently, as part of the official Norwegian state visit to

On September 12th 2018, R/V Kronprins Haakon left Longyearbyen on the second cruise in the research project named “the Nansen Legacy”. Its goal, to study oceanographic processes north of Svalbard, in order to understand the effects of changes in the water masses due to inflow of Atlantic water masses.

In a newly published Nansen Legacy study, scientists Yurii Batrak and Malte Müller from the Norwegian Meterological Institute show how the resolution of the spatial sea ice characteristics in model simulations significantly influences the 12‐hr weather forecast in areas up to 500–1,000 km away from the sea ice edge.

The Nansen Legacy has left for its first paleo cruise to the northern Barents Sea. Onboard are 24 geologists and oceanographers on the search for understanding the Barents Sea’s past climate.

The Arctic is about to shrink, shows a new study, as an important part of the Arctic Ocean shifts over to an Atlantic climate regime. The rapid climate shift occurs in the northern Barents Sea—the Arctic warming hotspot where the surface warming and loss of winter sea ice is largest in the entire Arctic.

Hundred and twentyfive years after “Fram” left for its historic Arctic expedition, the new Norwegian research icebreaker “Kronprins Haakon” left Tromsø on August 6, for its first scientific expedition to the Barents Sea. Onboard are 32 Nansen Legacy scientists.

In a newly published article, Nansen Legacy researcher, Prof. Camille Li (UiB), and coworkers demonstrate how climate change will impact storm tracks.

“There are many bits and pieces that need to fall in place with a new vessel like “Kronprins Haakon”, as well as a large research project like the Nansen Legacy, but both the vessel as well as the project are run by many incredibly competent and hard-working persons”, says Nansen Legacy PI Marit Reigstad.

Ilker Fer heads the first cruise by the Nansen Legacy project equipped with a specially constructed glider and measuring tools.

Studying the Arctic spring requires a suit of different approaches and methods, as Nansen Legacy’s collaborating project Arctic PRIZE is showing in this video.

The Arctic Ocean is rapidly changing. This creates losers and winners, explain Nansen Legacy scientist Geir Wing Gabrielsen in a new article.

The Nansen Legacy project was presented on two events in Washington DC, as an initiative to open for potential collaboration across the Arctic Ocean.

The Nansen Legacy is not operating alone in the Arctic. Strengthening collaboration with other Arctic research projects is therefore of great importance to the Nansen Legacy.

Nansen Legacy scientists were strongly represented at the 18th Russian-Norwegian Symposium in Murmansk 5-7 June 2018. The topic of the symposium was highly relevant for the Nansen Legacy project, by addressing the influence of ecosystem changes on harvestable resources in high latitudes.

In a new British documentary, Nansen Legacy scientists Katrine Husum and Geir Wing Gabrielsen from the Norwegian Polar Institute are sharing their impressions of the vast changes in the Arctic ecosystem with Lewis Pugh, who swam one kilometer in sub-zero Arctic waters to draw the World’s attention to the fast loss of Arctic sea ice and ice-connected life.

In the eye height of children and the spirit of the Arctic water scapes, the Nansen Legacy contributed to the CO2 days at the Northern Norwegian Science Center.

Emmelie K. L. Aström defended her PhD last Friday 20th April. The day before, she learned that she has been awarded a prestigious VISTA (The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters) Post-Doctoral position connected to the Nansen Legacy.

Meet her here.

The “Siberian cold” that has been entering Europe for the past weeks is in strong contrast to what is experienced in the rest of the Arctic! This winter is the warmest ever recorded.

The Barents Sea is rich in history, resources and opportunities, but also undergoing a major change. We want a dialogue about what these areas in the north mean to us today and in the future. We welcome you to the discussion.

Trying to understand and model the ecosystem development or future climate without understanding the basic physical controls can be compared to driving a car without knowing how the steering, throttle, and brakes function; even if you had a good overview of the road ahead you wouldn’t know at what speed and in what direction your car would move.

The NOAAs Arctic Report Card brings together the work of scientists from across the world to report on air, ocean, land and ecosystem changes in the far North and might give a heads-up for Santa if he should be exploring real estate opportunities at the South Pole.

The central Arctic is off-limits to commercial activites for the next 16 years, giving scientist the lead for better understanding an Arctic of environments in change.

Continuing the Legacy of the first explorers The first explorers to visit the Barents Sea arrived more than 500 years ago, and discovered abundant wildlife

Being a pioneer and an ambitious researcher not letting any obstacle stand in his way, Nansen’s ambition was to explore the Arctic further north than anyone else.

Wrapped in ice and snow, plunged into total darkness, blizzard winds, and cold winters, the Barents Sea is on of the most inaccessible and yet beautiful environments.