TARA OCEAN
Tara Polar Station:
a new drifting polar scientific base to conquer the Arctic
14 november 2024
© Fondation Tara Océan
Tara Polar Station, the new Tara Ocean Foundation vessel, built at CMN Cherbourg, is a ‘futuristic’ polar station that will study the impact of climate change on polar ecosystems, while observing local biodiversity and the effects of pollution.
A drifting station in the North Pole
Designed with the architect Olivier Petit, the drifting polar base will be able to withstand temperatures of -52°C (≃ -61°F) and will embark scientists from all over the world on ten successive expeditions until 2045. Climatologists, biologists, physicists, glaciologists, oceanographers, engineers, artists, doctors, journalists and sailors will join forces and live aboard this ‘ISS of the North Pole’ to carry out observations and experiments on site, right in the middle of the long winter polar night.
The 24-metre polar base will accommodate a crew of 12 in winter and up to 20 in summer. For the first time ever, the Arctic environment and its biodiversity will be studied over the long term, and observations of this little-known ecosystem and its biodiversity will take place throughout the seasons.
© François Dourlen - Fondation Tara Ocean
Tara Polar Station was launched on the 04 of October 2024, marking a crucial milestone after more than a year of construction in the Cherbourg shipyard. The construction work is now continuing out on the water. This unique polar laboratory will officially begin its first tests in Greenland at the beginning of 2025, then in the Arctic.
Designed to drift through Arctic ice
Unlike typical expeditions vessels, Tara Polar Station is not designed to actively navigate but to explore inaccessible areas by allowing itself to be carried along by the polar drift, a process that will enable researchers to observe the environment over the long term.
Equipped with several specialised laboratories, the station houses facilities that will enable scientists to take and analyse samples of this unique ecosystem on site.
Mission goals: gaining a better understanding of the Arctic to ensure a better future for the planet
The aim of Tara Polar Station is to unlock the secrets of the Arctic by studying the tangible impacts of climate change in this crucial and fragile region.
The station is carrying teams of international researchers, in partnership with institutions such as the CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique) and the CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives).
These scientists will be studying local biodiversity, the evolution of sea ice and the adaptation of species to the fluctuating Arctic conditions. This study should add to our knowledge of biodiversity and give us a better understanding of the consequences of melting ice.
The team will also be analysing the pollutants present in Arctic ice and water. These pollutants, whose effects are still poorly understood, threaten marine and land ecosystems. The Station will also measure the gradual arrival of warm-water marine species, displaced by global warming, which are beginning to colonise Arctic waters.
A fundraising campaign to support the completion of the project
To finalise the project, the Tara Ocean Foundation has launched a fundraising campaign.
The aim is to guarantee the success of this exceptional project, which could continue until 2045, with several consecutive missions planned as part of this polar drift.
