Scientists look to the past for clues about the Arctic's future

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Scientists look to the past for clues about the Arctic's future

Matthias Forwick, back row center, professor of marine geology and head of Department of Geoscience at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso, and Nam Seung-il, on his left in the first row, principal investigator of research on Arctic paleoceanography and Svalbard fjords at the Korea Polar Research Institute, during an expedition in Magdalenefjorden on July 31, 2022 [NAM SEUNG-IL]

Matthias Forwick, back row center, professor of marine geology and head of Department of Geoscience at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso, and Nam Seung-il, on his left in the first row, principal investigator of research on Arctic paleoceanography and Svalbard fjords at the Korea Polar Research Institute, during an expedition in Magdalenefjorden on July 31, 2022 [NAM SEUNG-IL]

 
TROMSO, Norway — Seated near the top of the globe, Svalbard, Norway, is where Korea first established its foothold for Arctic research.
 
Twenty years after the Dasan Research Institution was established in Svalbard, the two faraway countries — Korea and Norway — are still working together to unravel the secret of the land of permafrost.
 
"To understand what happens in the polar regions, you need team effort," said Matthias Forwick, marine geologist and head of the Department of Geoscience at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) in Tromso, in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on Feb. 2 at his office in Tromso.

 
Forwick went on multiple expeditions to sample sediments of the Arctic ocean floor on the Research Vessel (RV) Helmer Hanssen owned by UiT.
 
Matthias Forwick holds up a mock-up of sediment core, a cylindrical sample drilled from the sea floor, at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso on Feb. 2. [SHIN HA-NEE]

Matthias Forwick holds up a mock-up of sediment core, a cylindrical sample drilled from the sea floor, at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso on Feb. 2. [SHIN HA-NEE]

 
Also on board with Forwick was Nam Seung-il, principal investigator of research on Arctic paleoceanography and Svalbard fjords at the Korea Polar Research Institute (Kopri).
 
Having first met in 2004, Nam and Forwick went on joint expeditions for geological research projects in the Arctic Ocean over the past two decades. In 2014, they went on a 70-day expedition to the North Pole as well.

 
Their ongoing research, funded by Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT since 2015, focuses on the geological history of Svalbard and the recent impact of human-induced climate change on the region.

 
"We go into the fjords in Svalbard and try to find out how the climate was in the past, and also how the recent climate change is visible in the sediment of the sea floor," said Forwick.

 
"Glaciers are retreating very fast at the moment," said Forwick. "We want to understand why these dramatic changes are taking place and how this fits into the long-term picture, […] to understand what's going on."
 
Geological data gives insight into how climate change would reshape the Arctic — and by extension, the entire planet — by offering a look into a similar event that took place perhaps billions of years ago.
 
Matthias Forwick, left, during sampling of sediment from the floor of a fjord [NAM SEUNG-IL]

Matthias Forwick, left, during sampling of sediment from the floor of a fjord [NAM SEUNG-IL]

 
“Satellite data related to the Arctic sea ice has been observed starting only in 1979,” said Nam. "In order to understand the ongoing climate change and predict what would come next, we need a reference, and that is why we are looking into the past."
 
"To conduct research in the ocean, we need an ice-strengthened research vessel like RV Helmer Hanssen," said Nam. "We have gotten considerable support on that part in particular, from Norway and especially from [Dr. Forwick]."
 
Korea has been ramping up its research effort in the Arctic region over the past two decades.

 
The Dasan Research Station of Kopri was established in Svalbard, Norway, in 2002, and the country’s first icebreaker Araon was completed in 2009.

 
In November, the government announced a comprehensive plan to promote polar activities, which includes building a next-generation icebreaker, costing 277.4 billion ($219.5 million) won, by 2026.

 
“Korea has taken a leading role, by being active in the Arctic and investing so much effort and resources,” said Forwick.

 
“I think Korea is a good example of how a non-polar country can help us understand what is taking place in the Arctic."

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]
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