By Petra Hribovsek. Photos: Daniel Albert GoNorth/SINTEF
Shortly before the Christmas break, the 2025 GoNorth expedition set sail aboard the RV Kronprins Haakon to sample the biologically and geologically exciting areas in the Arctic Ocean.
The crew faced harsh weather, engine troubles and changing ice conditions; according to Captain Karl Robert Røttingen, the high waves made it the roughest expedition so far for RV Kronprins Haakon.
Despite this, they made it past 81°N and gathered a lot of data.
Representatives from BIO, postdoc Petra Hribovšek collected samples to study microbes living in chemosynthesis-based ecosystems and how they interact with deep-sea fauna and the environment around them,
while head engineer David Rees focused on sampling the macrofauna of these same ecosystems for studies of diversity and connectivity (CBE Arctic research team and Deep-Sea Biology Research Group).
Some key highlights:
- Visiting Jøtul vent field: https://gonortharctic.no/toktet-2025/daglig-rapport-dag-9-3/
- Life in the Sophia basin: https://gonortharctic.no/toktet-2025/daglig-rapport-dag-14-3/
- Studying microbes consuming methane: https://gonortharctic.no/toktet-2025/daglig-rapport-dag-13-3/
- Read more, including all our daily reports here: https://gonortharctic.no/news/gonorth-2025-science-in-a-stormy-arctic/