MBARI Research Supports Cryospheric Science

This year marks the opening of the United Nations Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences, an international initiative focused on the rapid changes occurring in glaciers, snow cover, ice sheets, sea ice, and permafrost and their impacts on the planet.

MBARI’s research and technology will play a critical role by providing important data about the Arctic seafloor and the Southern Ocean.

“Ice-covered ocean and land are integral to the health of our planet and host unique communities of life. The Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences provides an opportunity to collaborate to better understand and protect these critically important polar environments. As a leader in ocean science and engineering, MBARI is well-positioned to play a major role in international efforts to take the pulse of polar regions and help discovery in uncharted waters,” said MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius, a global leader in polar research.

Scientists have only recently been able to access the seafloor at the edge of the Canadian Arctic due to climate change impacts on sea ice.

Researchers have used MBARI’s autonomous underwater vehicles to conduct mapping surveys of the seafloor in this region, revealing remarkably complex underwater terrain. Data show dynamic and dramatic changes to