Turkish arctic expedition seeks crucial insights into climate change

By Sebnem Coskun

ARCTIC OCEAN (AA) - Türkiye's fourth National Arctic Scientific Research Expedition, comprising an 11-member team, is currently conducting 16 diverse projects in the Arctic Ocean to shed light on the future of our planet.

Under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency and Ministry of Industry and Technology, and coordinated by TUBITAK MAM Polar Research Institute, the expedition includes researchers from various Turkish institutions alongside international collaborators from Bulgaria and Chile.

Professor Ersan Basar, leader of the expedition, focuses on understanding changes in the health and dynamics of the Barents Sea ecosystem through the project titled "Examination of Plankton and Pigment Composition in the Barents Sea during the 2024 Arctic Summer."

Deputy leader Dogac Baybars Isiler oversees logistical operations aimed at enhancing navigation and safety in polar regions, with a focus on maritime operations and emergency response improvements.

Senior photojournalist Sebnem Coskun is participating in the expedition to document the scientific endeavors and the impacts of global climate change on life. Her work aims to disseminate the outcomes of Türkiye’s scientific missions in polar regions to a global audience.

- Ongoing Research Projects

Cetin Bicer, electronics engineer from the General Directorate of Meteorology, is gathering high-precision meteorological data in the Arctic. This includes air temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, atmospheric pressure, sea water temperature, and global solar radiation, using certified sensors in accordance with WMO standards.

Lieutenant Engineer Kunter Incili from the Navigation, Hydrography, and Oceanography Department is investigating the dynamics of Arctic layers and variations in thermoclines and haloclines around Norway's Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. His research also examines the impact of glacier melts on the Barents Sea and surrounding current systems.

Aslihan Nasif Dondurur from Dokuz Eylul University is studying shallow sea oceanography in the Svalbard region, focusing on the presence of freshwater inputs from glacier melts and their relationship with ocean currents.

Nursu Aylin Kasa from Istanbul Medipol University is working on detecting pharmaceutical active substances and their metabolites in environmental samples in the Arctic using advanced LC-MS/MS techniques. Her research aims to determine trace levels of these substances in the Barents Sea.

Bilge Durgut from Middle East Technical University is identifying spatial changes in Arctic biodiversity using eDNA metabarcoding, evaluating these changes alongside physicochemical parameters to understand biodiversity variations across different regions of the Barents Sea.

Gulden Acil from Istanbul Technical University is researching the detection of antifouling compounds in aquatic environments, exploring their impact on marine ecosystem health and biodiversity in the Barents Sea.

Maria Jose Narino Vargas from the Chilean Antarctic Institute is investigating phytoplankton dynamics in a changing ocean environment, examining whether new species emerging in the Arctic Ocean are potentially toxic.

Petar Sapundjiev from the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute is developing technical solutions for observing cosmic radiation variability in polar regions, aiming to enhance the reliability and functionality of scientific equipment deployed in these harsh environments.

The expedition team is expected to return to Türkiye next week, bringing valuable insights and data from their Arctic exploration.