Norwegian-US Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica

From 15.11.2007 to 25.01.2008 - Status: postponed

International Polar Foundation

This far-reaching international project is spread over a period of two years. It aims to explore the eastern part of the Antarctic continent and to study the various climate changes that have taken place over the past in this part of the world so that scientists can better understand what is going on now.

As part of the International Polar Year, the project is actually a combination of two separate programmes: the 'Trans-Antarctic Scientific Traverse Expeditions - Ice Divide of East Antarctica (TASTE-IDEA)' and 'International Partners in Ice Coring Sciences (IPICS)'. Two countries are involved: Norway and the United States. The intention is to exchange higher-level students and provide learning programmes for pupils still at school.

One of the main aims of the project is to communicate with the public at large and provide information about the travel and research involved - something that is not very common in the closed world of the scientific community.

The project is broken down into two phases, with the first phase taking place during the 2007-08 southern summer. A first team will cover the route from the Norwegian base at Troll to the South Pole along a route that is more or less in a straight line, and take readings and other observations throughout the journey. Part two of the project will be during the following summer in 2008-09. A second team will return to Troll, but along a different route that arcs a long way out to the east and includes numerous detours along the way.