Floating igloo research station heads to Arctic to study climate change
A French research station shaped like an igloo has departed for the Arctic to conduct a two-year study on climate change. The station will drift with the sea ice to collect continuous environmental data in a region that is currently under-researched.
Why it matters
Continuous, long-term data collection in the Arctic is critical for understanding the accelerating impacts of global climate change.
A floating research station designed to drift with Arctic sea ice has left France to begin a major scientific mission that will study the rapidly changing polar region over the next two years.The Tara polar station departed from the western French port of Lorient on Sunday. Hundreds of people gathered at the quayside to watch the launch.The unusual-looking station resembles a giant aluminium igloo resting on a large buoy. It has been specially designed to survive the pressure of shifting sea ice and temperatures as low as -52C.Instead of avoiding the ice, the station will allow itself to become trapped in it so it can drift naturally across the Arctic while scientists carry out research.Drift across ArcticThe journey will begin in mid-August when the station heads east along the Russian coast.
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