Havforskning i Polhavet:Europeisk Infrastruktur:

AURORA-Ideen by

Jörn Thiede (Fak. for geografi geoøkologi SPbGU/ RF)

og ERICON-deltakere

Polhavsmøtet 2013

Det Norske Videnskaps-AkademiOslo/ Norway

First Point

• Congratulations to our Norwegian colleagues that they convinced their government to grant funding for a new research ice breaker

• This decision will propell Norwegian marine polar research – already excellent in many disciplines - to the international forefront

• This ship will not duplicate, but supplement in many ways AURORA ideas

The AURORA ExperienceGlobally the Largest Climate related Infrastructure Project

• The scientific challenge• The technical challenge• The challenge of governance of an

international research icebreaker• The financial challenge• The political challenge• What about the future?

The Scientific Challenge:

The Scientific Perspective-2004-2012

Major themes of research for AURORA BOREALIS

1. Large and medium - scale circulation of ocean and atmosphere

2. Interactions between the pelagic ecosystems and the biogeochemical state of water masses

3. Physiology and population dynamics of benthic assemblages in the deep sea and in the coastal shelf seas in polar areas

4. Reconstruction of past climate from deposits in marine and periglacial environments including modeling of their properties and variability

5. Structure and kinematics of the lithosphere and the polar ice caps

6. Origin and evolution of the Arctic lithosphere

7. Ocean history and basement structure

2004

International ARCTIC‘ 91-Expedition

MCS Data, Mendeleev Ridge (B. Coakley, unpublished)

CryosciencesWinter ice thickness / properties

Pysical and Chemical Oceanography

- water sampling -

Geological and Biological OceanographyLong sediment cores (e.g. CALYPSO-system),

Plankton nets, fishery biology, remotely operated drilling, surface sediment sampling,

etc.

GeophysicsMCS, 3D, optimized arrays, streamer, winches, etc.

Monitoring Systems for Arctic sea ice, icebergs & atmospheric interactions

• Ground-truth remote sensing/satellite data.• Helicopter support for ice monitoring• Act as a mother ship for a hoovercraft • Permanent laboratories for continuous ship-

borne monitoring of marine meteorology and atmospheric physics(e.g. tropospheric aerosols: IFAC-CNR proposal, M. del Guasta, V. Vitale).

Aerosol LIDAR andOptical Particle Sizer (onboard ITALICA)Photos: M. del Guasta

The AURORA Philosophy

• Try to do things which nobody can do: It will give the actors a decisive advantage!

• Be innovative in Technology and Management!• Think big when the research subject is big!• Act big when needed! Our head politicians “think big”, but do not act “big”!

The finances will come on top of regular financing, or not at all!

• Be courageous: Our climate problem calls for decisive action in polar research, the upcoming young generation of polar scientists deserve the safest and most modern equipment to conduct their research in the most

extreme environments on EARTH!

The Technical Challenge: Unique Features of the AURORA

Status Quo: What we can do and what we cannot do

• Regular summer expeditions for

all polar research disciplines

• Fullfill all logistic requirements

(but at the expense of research

time)

• Provide safety and experienced

crews

• Bad season expeditions

• Deep-sea drilling

• Synoptic bipolar expeditions

• Deployments of ROV and AUV

(or MUV) under closed sea-ice

cover

• No systematic sampling under

closed sea-ice cover

• etc.

2004

Technology of the FutureIcebreaker, Drillship and Multi-purpose Research Vessel

• Novel icebreaker that operates autonomously during all seasons in sea-ice

covered oceans and on stations (dynamic positioning), without additional

icebreaker support

• Multi-purpose Research Vessel for a year-round deployment in the Polar

Regions (Central Arctic, Arctic basins, Antarctic Margins) and for international and

interdisciplinary expeditions

• Scientific Drillship for drilling of 1000 m long cores in up to 5000 m water depth

under a closed sea-ice cover

• Icebreaking with slow or no vessel speed• Icebreaking sideways: Hull shape• High propulsion power• Mechanically robust azimuth propulsion pods• Ice-resistant, powerful thruster system

Dynamic positioningin drifting ice…

Extensive testing of models in open water and ice tanks before final design

• Propulsion systems withstanding severest ice conditions

• Complete double-hull design

• Fully redundant engine rooms and equipment

• Redundant dynamic positioning system (DP2)

• Full weather protection (e.g. hangars) for science and drilling operations

• Combine high ice-breaking capacity of vessel with stable open water performance (e.g. transits, Southern Ocean)

• Advanced concepts for de-icing superstructure and equipment to maintain ship’s stability

• Complete equipment for sustained survival of crew and scientists in “Total Loss of Ship” scenarios

Safety management systems:

Further information is available at: http://www.eri-aurora-borealis.eu

Reduction of Expenses of approx. 30%

The Challenge of Governance of an International Research Icebreaker

COPAL

EURO-ARGO

EMSO

LIFEWATCH

SIAOS

ICOS

EPOS

ERICON-AB

ESFRIEuropean Strategy forum on Research

Infrastructure

ESFRI

European Strategy forum on Research Infrastructure

The project is funded by the European Commission

Generates the strategic, scientific, organisational, legal and financial frameworks for European ministries and funding agencies to decide about the construction and operation of AURORA as new European Infrastructure of global importance

ERICON - Governance

48 Months duration Started March 1, 2008 Budget: 4.5 Million Euro

11 countries and 18 partners Spain and Ireland corresponding

members Endedan extension in May 2012

The Financial Challenge:

-AURORA BOREALIS Versionapprox. € 800 Mio construction-AURORA SLIM Version approx. € 550 Mio construction-both versions approx. € 30-35 Mio/yfor 300 days/y at sea for 30 years

The Political Challenge For Central Arctic Ocean Research

• Statements of: • Merkel, Chancellor of Germany• Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway• Putin, Prime Minister of the RF• Connie Hedegaard, EU Commissionar for Climate• Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU Commissioner for

Research• Etc. How do we get them to act?

Merkel satser på nordområdene

Han inviterte også tyske selskaper til å delta i utviklingen avisgående fartøyer som kan brukes i nord.

What about the future?

• Generate the most modern, innovative and powerful polar research ice-breaker, with all-season and drilling capabilities (3rd generation of polar research vessels)

• Generate a multinational polar research platform, motivating new countries to invest into their Arctic research programs to meet new challenges

• Generate a „floating university“ to educate a new generation of polar researchers

• Generate a platform for public outreach and educational activities

• Prepare the road for commercial enterprises in the Arctic Ocean; potential for rescue operations

The AURORA ChallengeIPY ICARP II

To the Nature of Arctic Ocean Research: AURORA and beyond

• Needs longterm scientific perspective or strategy• Scientific capacity requires formation of an International

Consortium of motivated institutions/nations• The abilities/ capacities require a carefully balanced plan

for interdisciplinary expeditions. We would like to see the development of an international and well coordinated Arctic Ocean science planning structure between relevant and interested institutes/ countries

• Needs a home port closs to the Arctic and the necessary scientific and logistic support structure

Message to Leading Institutions Arctic Ocean Rim Countries and other Nations with Polar Research Interests

• Be on the cutting edge of polar ocean research• Help to generate the 3rd generation of dedicated polar

research vessels• Be part of a consortium to found a „floating Arctic

University“• But this requires a strategic orientation of your scientific

capacities towards the Polar Oceans. It will be your decision....

Future Polar Research1. European researchers are doing cutting-edge research in extreme polar environments, but they could do better and they should strive for a better use of their capabilities and capacities.2. Research in extreme polar environments requires the most modern and safest equipment.3. It also requires to attract the brightest and the youngest to understand global environmental change which is considered one of t he largest societal challenges of our generation.

THESE WERE MY MESSSAGES TO YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND GOOD LUCK TO THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN SCIENCE!!!