The rapidly changing Arctic Ocean demands an extraordinary research effort to deepen our knowledge and document its unique ecosystem before it's irrevocably altered by climate change and human activities. To meet this challenge, the Tara Ocean Foundation, based in France, developed an innovative Arctic research platform called the Tara Polar Station.
The TPS project has assembled an international scientific consortium where we were invited to lead the biosphere-atmosphere interactions group for the new TPS program. Together with European and American laboratories, we are building the research programs that will perform measurements and tackle this unprecedented scientific and human adventure at the North Pole.
The TPS project introduces a groundbreaking research station designed for a 20-year presence in the Arctic. The TPS unique, circular structure will conduct scientific observations through a series of 2-year drifts. The TPS's innovative design allows it to be positioned at the highest possible latitude, where it will be lifted onto the ice as waters freeze. Once in place, the station will drift with the ice movement, enabling year-round observations even in extreme temperatures below -50°C.
Tara Polar Station's first expedition to the far reaches of the central Arctic is scheduled for September of 2026, subsequent to a series of tests in polar conditions in Svalbard that will take place in 2025.
