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Northwest Passage Project uses collaboration to successfully study the Arctic

The entire Oden crew, SPRS crew, and NPP expedition team.  
Photo credit: Lars Lehnert, SPRS

The Northwest Passage Project (NPP), funded by the National Science Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation, is a collaborative project between the University of Rhode Island, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat (SPRS), the film company David Clark Inc., five minority serving institutions, and other partners. The overarching science goal of the NPP is to understand how the waters of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) have changed as a consequence of rapid Arctic warming. From July 18 to August 4, 2019, an innovative expedition aboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden took place where student and scientist research teams used oceanographic, atmospheric, and ice sampling methods as well as shipboard surveys of Arctic seabirds and marine mammals to understand how warming Arctic waters and decreasing sea ice may be impacting the region. The expedition also prioritized science communication. Live, interactive broadcasts shared science content, research goals, and preliminary results to audiences at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Exploratorium, and the Alaska SeaLife Center. Broad public audiences were also engaged through social media and the NPP website, northwestpassageproject.org, where student blogs and highlight videos showcasing the Arctic landscape and expedition activities were posted.

Thick multilayer ice in the western Barrow Strait. Photo credit to Northwest Passage Project/Inner Space Center/Holly Morin

The expedition was an immense success with over 5600 nm traveled, 1500+ chlorophyll samples taken, 84+ hours of documentary footage, 52 CTD casts, and 40 live, interactive broadcasts. During the expedition, the ship also rerouted to rescue a passive acoustic recording device that had broken free and was trapped in an ice floe. The device, which had been recording whale sounds and other aspects of the underwater soundscape in Lancaster Sound for over a year, belonged to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Successful efforts to retrieve the research package is a testament not only to the challenges of Arctic science, but to the collaborative nature of oceanographic research. The project team is now looking ahead to the production of David Clark Inc.’s documentary Frozen Obsession, as well as continued data analysis and scientific results from the expedition.

The Scripps acoustic recorder being recovered. Photo credit to Northwest Passage Project/Inner Space Center/Holly Morin.
The Scripps acoustic recorder being recovered. Photo credit to Northwest Passage Project/Inner Space Center/Holly Morin.

Online Resource – Video Science Glossary

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has launched a Video Glossary.  The site provides one- to two-minute video clips featuring a Berkeley Lab scientist or engineer as they explain terms related to their research for lay audiences.  Topics include:  weather and climate, carbon cycle, climate change, genomics, nanotechnology – more than 50 in a growing list of terms anyone may encounter and want to understand better.  Use a link on the site to send your suggestions for additional terms to include – more are added every week.

Webinar on Science Communication

On September 30, 1 pm US EDT, the Ecosystem Based Management Tools Network will offer a webinar –  Overview of Science Communication Tools – by Bill Dennison and Tim Carruthers of the University of Maryland.  The Integration and Application Network (IAN) produces a variety of communication products including newsletters, posters, books, reports, brochures, and conceptual diagrams. These products synthesize scientific findings using effective science communication techniques. This webinar will give an overview of the scientific communication products that IAN produces with a focus on conceptual diagrams and conceptual diagramming tools.  Conceptual diagrams or “thought drawings” depict essential attributes of the system and can evolve to capture increased understanding of the system.  They can help clarify thinking and avoid ambiguity, provide a communication interface that combines current scientific understanding with community priorities and environmental values, and identify gaps and priorities.  IAN provides a variety of resources, examples, tools and tutorials available along with a symbol library of over 1500 custom symbols to help you produce your own conceptual diagrams.  Learn more Web conferencing information about this tool demonstration will be sent out via the EBM Tools Network mailing list a few weeks before the webinar.