U of M scientists to study open Arctic waters

Researchers at the University of Manitoba will play a lead role in the biggest scientific project ever to examine the Arctic Ocean.

Starting in October, 200 scientists from 14 countries will study everything from the bottom of the ocean to the top of the atmosphere, from the smallest virus to the biggest whale.

The study will provide a benchmark for tracking future changes in Arctic systems.

The University of Manitoba's project will be thelargestof several universities sharing $150 million in federal funding. Most of the work will focus on "leads" in the sea ice areas of open water in constant motion.

"You get open ocean there earlier than you would anywhere else in the ocean," explained Dave Barber, who will lead a research team studying Arctic ice.

"That allows us to look at what the Arctic is going to look like in the very near future, because we're seeing a dramatic reduction in ice all over the Northern Hemisphere."

The project will also help scientists understand climate change in more temperate zones, Barber said.

The work will be done aboard the Amundsen, a former Canadian Coast Guardicebreaker retrofitted for research. It will be the first-ever attempt to navigate the open waters along the edge of the Arctic Ocean during all four seasons.

The project will cost about $40 million, with research scheduled to get underway in October.