"We couldn't askfor better service"

Geo Mission and the Catlin Arctic Survey are undertaking vital research into how greenhouse gases could affect the marine life of the Arctic Ocean, including some species that can be described as the core of life on our planet. As an official supplier to the mission, Backup Direct is trusted to backup all 'mission-critical' data gathered from the expedition. The Explorer Team is led by one of the chief women in Polar Exploration, Ann Daniels, who has sent us a video about the Backup Direct Service along with their latest update.

Having spent 59 days on the Arctic Ocean the Explorer Team are putting everything into the last few days of the expedition. The team are exhausted but determined to continue covering as much ‘ground’ as possible. They have now conducted their penultimate day of scientific data-gathering and are hoping that their final sampling will take place at the North Geographic pole. 



The Explorer Team have been taking water samples not only over a 400km distance from March to May, but also over an ever increasing depth of ocean, as they move away from the continental shelf.  At over 89°N, the base of the ocean plummets, such that the explorer team are entering an area of sea ice suspended over at least 5000 meters of ocean depth. Click here for full size bathymetric map (courtesy NOAA) 

Compared to ice-breaker ships, this gives a set of ocean acidification data early in the year over a wide variety of conditions, achieved by 'key-hole' surgery techniques that minimize disturbance to the ice.



The combined samples from the Ice Base and the Explorer Team are projected to produce over 2,200 biochemical measurements, which will provide important baseline data for further studies, providing insight into the impact of carbon dioxide absorption.

Explorer Team update



Frustration (to put it mildly) continues for the Explorer Team. Having put in another massive sledging day they then drifted back 5km overnight. Morale is still high despite strong winds, bad visibility and the negative drift. If this was easy everyone would be doing it. 

Explorer Team current location at 1200 BST on 10th May: 89.36.48.9 N / 63.04.42.0 W