The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, report 2: Arriving at the North Pole

A week has passed on the Swedish/Canadian icebreaker expedition to the central Arctic Ocean and late Saturday afternoon we arrive at the North Pole where we stayed until the very early hours of Sunday. Everyone got together on the bridge and as we arrived on the North Pole we cheered eachother with a glass of (alcohol free) bubbles. After the crew had moored us to an ice floes, we were allowed off the ship for some free time and also the mandatory group photo.

People playing on the ice, with icebreaker Oden in the vackground.

Time for some play on the ice at the North Pole before the mandatory group photo. Photo: Michael Tjernström.

Icebreaker Luis in water and ice behind Oden, where the photo is taken from.

The Canadian icebreaker Luis S. St. Laurent and Oden takes turn to break ice for each other depending on the work going on. Here the Luis lies after Oden. Photo: Michael Tjernström.

On the way up to the Pole on the Atlantic side it was unusually warm, with temperatures above zero up to ~2 km, although it was close to zero near the melting ice. There was not so much ice, with large open water areas, and the ice was also thin.

Now ”on the other side” of the Pole, the ice has gotten thicker and harder and it slows us down a bit. Right now Oden is in the lead and breaks ice for our Canadian companion, the icebreaker Luis. S. St Laurent, but this a shifted back and forth depending on the tasks.

Students and lecturer in a small lecture room.

The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat’s director Katarina Gårdfeldt lectures on Environmental Change for the Early Career Researcher School on Oden. Photo: Michael Tjernström.

The research school has continued as planned with two or three lectures every other day and practical work in the different groups in between. There has been CTD-measurements, of pressure, temperature and salinity in the ocean and water samples were also collected, för example at the pole.

Yesterday sediments from the sea floor was collected and meanwhile the atmospheric program continues among other things with the “balloon contest”. Volunteers help release radiosounding balloons and the one with the highest balloon before bursting wins!

(Michael Tjernström, 18 August 2025)

A researcher in helmet and outdoor clothes on icebreaker Oden looks at water sample "bottles".

CTD/Rosette measurements from the bow of Oden measures among other things pressure, temperature and salinity of the water column and water samples are collected from different depths in the bottles in the “Rosette”. Photo: Michael Tjernström

The icebreaker Oden has set sail and is heading for the Arctic to map the seabed. On board are 18 PhD students from various countries attending a research school where practical work is combined with lectures. Follow their journey in our blog, with weekly reports by Michael Tjernström, professor emeritus of meteorology at Stockholm University with extensive experience of Arctic expeditions, and responsible for the research school.

Blog and more articles about the expedition AO25

The AO25 blog: The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025

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Climate dynamics and climate change Meteorology and atmospheric science Oceanography

Last updated: August 18, 2025

Source: MISU

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