Taiwan launches first independently planned Arctic research expedition
台灣啟動首次自主規劃的北極研察隊
| A 30-member multidisciplinary team led by National Central University has embarked on Taiwan's first independently planned scientific expedition aboard an icebreaker in the Arctic, where researchers will study extreme climate, ocean circulation, and the impacts of climate change.
The team departed aboard an icebreaking research vessel bound for waters west of the Svalbard archipelago, bringing together scientists from NCU, the National Academy of Marine Research, National Taiwan University, and Academia Sinica, per a press release. The expedition is coordinated by NCU Graduate Institute of Hydrological and Oceanic Sciences Professor Chien Hwa (錢樺), with National Tsing Hua University Department of Life Sciences Professor Li Chia-wei (李家維) serving as chief scientist. Before the voyage, Li encouraged the team to pursue research with a global perspective. "To be a scientist is to be a world scientist. We bring Taiwan's knowledge to this place that holds the key to humanity's future," said Li. The primary research site is located along the coast of Svalbard near glacial fjords. Researchers will deploy drifting buoys and conduct water mass analyses to examine changes in Arctic ecosystems and climate. The team also plans to install 11 automated weather stations to monitor long-term interactions between the atmosphere and Arctic soils. Researchers said that although Taiwan is not an Arctic nation, it is an island that depends heavily on the ocean. Thus, changes in Arctic ocean circulation, extreme weather, and the global carbon cycle could have significant effects on Taiwan's climate and environment. Since 2021, NCU's Taiwan Polar Institute has deployed drifting buoys each year in key deep-water channels between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic. This year's mission expands that work into glacial fjords to study freshwater and seawater mixing, methane production, and ecosystem responses to climate change using environmental DNA (eDNA), per the press release. The expedition will also investigate newly exposed land created by glacial retreat. Researchers plan to search for fossils near glacier fronts to trace the historical distribution of Taiwania, an ancient conifer native to Taiwan and East Asia. Organizers said the expedition strengthens Taiwan's participation in international Arctic research. Participants said it is essential for Taiwan to make meaningful scientific contributions to polar research and improve understanding of environmental changes that will shape the Earth's future. |
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| Sean Scanlan(Taiwan News, Staff Writer) | |
| 2026-08-07 |
