New field campaign aboard RV Forel, a sailing science lab

The 2024 field campaign focuses on ocean-ice-air interactions and biodiversity in the Nordre Sermilik Fjord on the southwest coast of Greenland. Six GreenFjord researchers are sailing aboard RV Forel, a sailing boat recently refitted for scientific missions and offering an array of specialised equipment for sampling and processing collected data including a sampling rosette, wet, dry, and clean laboratories. Using a sailing boat will allow the research team more flexibility for optimal data collection and, at the same time, to address the environmental footprint of polar research in a sustainable manner.

The crew and the research team set sail in June 2024 from Lorient (France) and are planned to return in August 2024.

More information:

• Association Forel Heritage website 
• Details on the field campaign & map of sampling sites: Expedition 2024, Forel Heritage (forel-heritage.org)
• Follow the RV Forel live on Marine Traffic website: MarineTraffic: Global Ship Tracking Intelligence | AIS Marine Traffic
• Press article (in French): La Suisse a désormais son navire polaire: le Forel – Heidi.news
• RTS « CQFD » Podcast (in French) on the GreenFjord field campaign: Mission Green Fjord: le voilier suisse “Forel” à la conquête du Groenland – rts.ch – Portail Audio
• Article Expédition au Groenland, à bord d’un voilier transformé en plateforme scientifique, published on the UNIL website

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