Olga Startseva: Three key results of the «North Pole – 42» expedition

The «North Pole – 42» expedition, which began on September 30, 2024, concluded on July 12, 2026, when the research vessel North Pole (Severny Polyus), guided by the nuclear icebreaker Arktika, reached open water. Over 21 months of drifting in the central Arctic, the vessel covered more than 3,540 nautical miles (over 6,550 kilometers). The expedition’s main achievement is a continuous observational record from a region where no stationary measurement networks exist. Without such data, any climate models remain mere hypotheses, emphasizes Olga Startseva, an expert at the PORА Expert Center.

On board the ice-resistant platform were 14 crew members and 34 scientific personnel — specialists in atmospheric, hydrobiological, oceanographic, hydrochemical, ice, geophysical, geological, and hydroacoustic research. The expedition operated under the auspices of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) of Roshydromet, with participation from institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Three specific results of the expedition are directly relevant to environmental monitoring and fundamental science.

First — measurements of absolute gravity on drifting ice. This is not climate science, but fundamental geophysics that refines our understanding of the Earth’s crust beneath the Arctic Ocean. This is important for predicting the influence of tectonics on ocean currents.

Second — geological samples from the Alpha Ridge. Such samples had rarely been taken before. Now there is material for assessing paleoclimate and the potential bioproductivity of ancient sediments. Practical conclusions will not emerge until at least a year or two after laboratory processing.

Third — the station recorded that no sharp, irreversible shifts in the «ice – ocean – atmosphere» system occurred in the studied area during the drift. Changes remain within the range of previously observed variability.

Technically, the team successfully relocated the station by 430 kilometers — a new milestone in polar station mobility. Previously, stations drifted wherever the ice carried them; now they could choose the ice field themselves. For environmental monitoring, this makes it possible to study targeted areas with precision rather than relying on a random route.

At the same time, the data collected is sufficient to refine models but not enough to revise global forecasts. The Arctic is a system with enormous inertia, and 21 months is but an instant. SP-42’s main contribution is that we now have reference measurements from latitudes where none existed before. The rest is a matter of time and future expeditions.