MOSAiC Expedition
Arctic System Science Conference 2026
Harnessing MOSAiC and other field programs to advance knowledge
23-27 March 2026, Potsdam, Germany
Conference Website
MOSAiC
Embark on the largest polar expedition in history: in September 2019, the German research icebreaker Polarstern set sail from Tromsø, Norway, to spend a year drifting through the Arctic Ocean - trapped in ice. The goal of the MOSAiC expedition was to take the closest look ever at the Arctic as the epicenter of global warming and to gain fundamental insights that are key to better understand global climate change. Hundreds of researchers from 20 countries were involved in this exceptional endeavour. Following in the footsteps of Fridtjof Nansen's ground-breaking expedition with his wooden sailing ship Fram in 1893-1896, the MOSAiC expedition brought a modern research icebreaker close to the north pole for a full year including for the first time in polar winter. The data gathered will be used by scientists around the globe to take climate research to a completely new level. Led by atmospheric scientist Markus Rex, and co-led by Klaus Dethloff and Matthew Shupe, MOSAiC is spearheaded by Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).
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See science
MOSAiC
Embark on the largest polar expedition in history: in September 2019, the German research icebreaker Polarstern will set sail from Tromsø, Norway, to spend a year drifting through the Arctic Ocean - trapped in ice.
See expedition
See science
The goal of the MOSAiC expedition is to take the closest look ever at the Arctic as the epicenter of global warming and to gain fundamental insights that are key to a better understanding of global climate change. Hundreds of researchers from 20 countries are involved in this exceptional endeavour. Following in the footsteps of Fridtjof Nansens ground-breaking expedition with his wooden sailing ship Fram in 1893-1896, the MOSAiC expedition will bring a modern research icebreaker close to the north pole for the first time in polar winter. The data gathered will be used by scientists around the globe to take climate and ecosystem research to a completely new level. Led by atmospheric scientist Markus Rex, and co-led by Klaus Dethloff and Matthew Shupe, MOSAiC is spearheaded by Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).
A strange discovery © UFA Show & Factual
Welcome Back, Polarstern!
One World - One Expedition - unraveling the puzzle of the changing Arctic climate system.
The entire MOSAiC route: This animation summarizes the record-breaking expedition.
Polartag und Polarnacht, © Friederike Krüger
Albedo-Effekt - Erklärung am Beispiel der Arktis © Friederike Krüger
Animated MOSAiC expedition overview
Having grown together to form a solid team, the participants of leg 1 now share their experiences in the middle of the Arctic ice.
The first phase of the one-year MOSAiC expedition was a time in which the team successfully mastered numerous challenges.
A fortress of ice and snow - the first few weeks of MOSAiC, © Alfred Wegener Institute
Unlocking the secrets of the Arctic, © Alfred Wegener Institute
System check: ROV, © Alfred Wegener Institute
MOSAiC Expedition Trailer, © Alfred Wegener Institute
Snow and Sea Ice Training Oulu/Finland, © Alfred Wegener Institute
Atmospheric and Survival Training Ny Alesund/Spitsbergen, © Alfred Wegener Institute
With Polarstern captain Schwarze on course, © Alfred Wegener Institute
May 21, 2019
May 21, 2019
Stories
See all stories
September 4, 2024
September 4, 2024
Press release by AWI
Photosynthesis in near darkness – Research team publishes new results of the MOSAiC project
March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024
Short Message by AWI
The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) has honored Markus Rex, Matthew Shupe and Klaus Dethloff with the Award for Service 2024.
September 29, 2023
September 29, 2023
Nature
A MOSAiC publication is on the cover of Nature Geosciences
Cover reproduced with permission from Springer Nature.
October 17, 2022
October 17, 2022
University of East Anglia
New dataset reveals biological “treasure trove” of Arctic Ocean
A major new project will help benchmark biodiversity change in the Arctic Ocean and guide conservation efforts by identifying unique species and assessing their extinction risk.
October 17, 2022
October 17, 2022
Press release by AWI
Antje Boetius and Markus Rex accept Arctic Circle Prize
Alfred Wegener Institute and MOSAiC expedition receive award
Polarstern blog
Read the MOSAiC participants' reports on the expedition
See Polarstern blog
MOSAiC in the media
Read more about MOSAiC in international media
See selected articles
Expedition partners
Austria
University of Vienna
Belgium
University of Liège
Canada
University of Calgary
University of Manitoba
UVIC - University of Victoria
University of Waterloo
China
BNU - Beijing Normal University
FIO - First Institute of Oceanography
OUC - Ocean University of China
PRIC - Polar Research Institute of China
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
SIO - Second Institute of Oceanography
Taiyuan University of Technology
TIO- Third Institute of Oceanography
USTC - University of Science and Technology of China
ZJU - Zhejiang University
Denmark
Aarhus University
DMI - Danish Meteorological Institute
Finland
FMI - Finnish Meteorological Institute
University of Helsinki
University of Oulu
France
Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand (Laboratoire de Météorologie Physique)
UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes
Germany
AWI - Alfred Wegener Institute
CAU - Kiel University
DLR - German Aerospace Center
DWD - Deutscher Wetterdienst
GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
GFZ - German Research Centre for Geosciences
IOW - Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde
LIM - Leipzig Institute for Meteorology - Leipzig University
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Trier University
TROPOS - Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research
University of Bremen
University of Cologne
Great Britain
BAS - British Antarctic Survey
HUD - University of Huddersfield
NERC - the Natural Environment Research Council
UCL - University College London
UEA - University of East Anglia
University of Leeds
University of Plymouth
WARWICK - University of Warwick
Italy
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Istituto Fisica Applicata (CNR - IFAC)
Istituto di Scienze Polari (CNR - ISP)
Japan
Hokkaido University
National Institute of Polar Research
University of Tokyo
Korea
KOPRI - Korea Polar Research Institute
Netherlands
NWO - Dutch Research Council
University of Groningen
WUR - Wageningen University
Norway
NERSC - Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center
NORCE - Norwegian Research Center
NPI - Norwegian Polar Institute
NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The Research Council of Norway
UiB - University of Bergen
UiT - The Arctic University of Norway
Poland
IOPAN - Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences
Russia
AARI - Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
FSUE "Rosmorport"
Spain
ICM- Institute of Marine Sciences
Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
Sweden
SLU - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Stockholm University
Swedish Polar Research Secretariat
University of Gothenburg
UU - Uppsala University
Switzerland
PSI - Paul Scherrer Institute
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
USA
NSF
ARM - Atmospheric Radiation Measurement
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NASA
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Colorado State University
Dartmouth College
FIU - Florida International University
NPS - Naval Postgraduate School
Ohio State University
Oregon State University
Scripps - Institution of Oceanography
UAF - University of Alaska Anchorage
UAF - University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Delaware - Video/Image Modeling and Synthesis (VIMS) Lab
University of Georgia
University of Maryland
University of Rhode Island
University of Washington
WHOI - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution