International reserach expedition makes port in Tromsø

R/V Knorr which is considered to be one of the best equipped research vessels in the world, is also famous for having supported the team who discovered the wreck of the RMS Titanic.

This time around the ship makes port in Tromsø on April 12.

Aboard are collaborating scientists from the United States, Norway, and Finland. As part of the IPY-sponsored research project, ICEALOT, the scientists are conducting extensive surveys of regional and Arctic air quality.

The research team have completed a survey transit from Varanger fjorden where the target of sampling was assessment of the emissions from the Kola peninsula and other regional Arctic sources.

Foto: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Knorr forlot Woods Hole, Massachusetts 19 mars.

Foto: NILU
NILU-forsker, John Faulkner Burkhart Meeting the Media
As they board in Tromsø the research team are mid-way through a two-leg cruise from the United States to Iceland via Tromsø, Svalbard, and the Greenland Sea.

Upon arrival in Tromsø, Expedition leaders Patricia Quinn from NOAA (National Oceanic and Athmospheric Administration) and John Burkhart from NILU, (Norwegian air reserearch institute), are welcoming the press aboard the vessel.

The reserachers intend to present some of their findings.

POLARCAT
ICEALOT, is part of POLARCAT - a  Norwegian led International Polar Year project. In  particular, the objectives of the campaigns are to evaluate long range transport of pollutants into the Arctic along with measuring impacts driven by increased human activity in the region.

Scientific issues to be addressed in the project include springtime sources and transport of pollutants to the Arctic, evolution of aerosols and gases into and within the Arctic, and climate impacts of haze and ozone in the Arctic. Planned measurements include a full complement of relevant gas

Around the World
The research vessel Knorr is owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by WHOI for the ocean research community.

The ship was launched in 1968 as a 245-foot-long vessel. In 1991, after a 32-month total overhaul, it returned to service as a 279-foot-long vessel. An additional 34 feet was added to the vessel's length at its middle to make room for a new laboratory and machinery space.

The ship's twin azimuthing propulsion system also was installed at that time. The forward and aft azimuthing propellers allow the ship to move in any direction or to maintain a fixed position in high winds and rough seas. The R/V Knorr also features anti-roll tanks and an ice-strengthened bow, enabling it to travel and conduct research in oceans around the world.

Read more about the projects here: POLARCAT and  ICEALOT

The press is welcome aboard the vessel from 1.00 pm on Saturday, April 12.
Please contact John Burkhart for registration: jburkhart@knorr.whoi.edu

You may also contact Anne Nyeggen, head of communications, NILU. +47 90776232