Arctic Climate Puzzles

The following pages describe what the Arctic Coring Expedition is about (scientific background, logistics, aims etc.). This text is also available as a brochure, which can be downloaded. Please click.

 ACEX-Broschuere_engl.pdf

ACEX-Brochure, English version

Geological evidence from about 45-55 million years ago, such as alligator fossils from the Canadian Arctic suggests that the Arctic once was relatively warm and ice-free. Today, the Arctic Ocean is the only ocean that's always ice-covered. Scientists of the Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX) intend to discover when this change from hothouse to icehouse occurred. Interestingly, recent observations suggest a return to the warmer conditions of ancient times. Over the past 30 years, scientists have documented a thinning of the ice; from an average of roughly 3.1 to 1.8 metre. The area covered by ice has receded by 5 percent; roughly the size of France and Germany combined.

The Arctic plays a fundamental role in the global climate system. The sea ice and Greenland`s ice cap reflect part of the sun's energy back into space, influencing the temperature distribution and reducing the amount of absorbed heat. The Arctic is also a driving force in global ocean circulation. A large-scale ocean circulation, know as the "global conveyor belt", redistributes heat over the planet. With continued global warming, and melting of Arctic ice, this heat conveyor may begin to falter, decreasing the flow of warm water to Europe and thereby cooling its climate.


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