Virus delay, early ice melt challenge Arctic science mission

y prepared for icy cold and trained to be on watch for polar bears, but a pandemic just wasn't part of program.

w dozens of scientists are waiting in quarantine for all-clear to join a year-long Arctic research mission aimed at improving models used for forecasting climate change, just as expedition reaches a crucial phase.

For a while, international mission looked like it might have to be called off, as country after country

News of pandemic caused jitters among those alrey on board, said Matw Shupe, an atmospheric scientist at University of Coloro and co-leer of MOSAiC expedition.

“Some people just wanted to be home with ir families,” he told Associated Press in a video interview from German port of Bremerhaven, where he and about 90 or scientists and crew have been kept in isolation to ensure y're virus-free.

Organizers at Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Ocean Research mand to fly out a handful of people via Cana last month. rest of crew will be exchanged with help of two or German research ships that will meet Polarstern on sea ice edge.

That upcoming rendezvous will force Polarstern to abandon its current position for three weeks at a critical time in Arctic cycle.

“We are on cusp right w of onset of sea ice melt season and that’s a really important transition,” said Shupe.

“That could happen when ship is gone,” he said. “It's a distinct risk we face.”

To avoid missing out on key data, researchers will leave some instruments behind, including an 11-meter (36-foot) tower used for atmospheric measurements, and hope that it's still re when y return.

“ ice could just come toger and destroy everything," said Shupe. “Hopefully that doesn’t happen.”

ding to problem is fact that sea ice is cracking up and moving about earlier than anticipated, a sign of possible future changes to Arctic if global warming continues.

"It’s challenging,” said Shupe. “But we need to face that challenge in order to get se kind of measurements.”

Scientists on 140-million-euro ($158 million) expedition have alrey gared valuable data

Shupe said measurements that scientists were able to perform during long Arctic winter will improve models y use to calculate how sw insulates sea ice and affects movement of energy.

“Conceptually we kw that, of course, but we actually have observations w that will tell us how that’s working,” he said.

Measurements of tiny airborne particles can also help shed light on role y play in trapping heat or reflecting sunlight, especially if re's less ice and more open ocean as

intense interest into research about coronavirus could have a positive kck-on effect for fields such as climate science, said Shupe.

“Everybody is w looking at new for models of how this (virus) spres,” he said. “Perhaps this actually opens door to more people to understand climate problem.”

Still, researchers on MOSAiC are hoping to deal with one problem at a time, hence strict quarantine to avoid any chance of carrying coronavirus into Arctic.

“We definitely don’t want anybody getting sick and we don’t want to take that out to ship,” said Shupe. “Realistically, it’s actually one of safest places on Earth right w.”

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