What is MOSAIC Mission?
The Arctic Ocean is responsible for global climate change. The warming rates of the Arctic exceeds twice the global average and warming during winter is even larger. To understand the climate change conditions of the Arctic, the idea of forming a project came into existence. The MOSAic Mission is an international expedition that performs research and study on different topics of the ecosystem. MOSAiC Mission is a research and study expedition to perform research on the topics of chemical, physical, and biological processes that are related to the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice, ocean, and ecosystem.
The full form of MOSAiC is Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate. It was an expedition that was set for a year for exploring the Arctic climate system into the central Arctic. The distributed regional network of observational locations would be set up on the sea ice surrounding the ship icebreaker RV Polarstern (a German Research Vessel) during the year of round operation of research. The icebreaker RV Polarstern is used for research in the Arctic and Antarctica.
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Features of MOSAiC Mission
The few features of MOSAiC Mission are as follows.
The MOSAiC Mission was begun in September 2019 after the departure of German research icebreaker Polarstern from Tromso, Norway. The icebreaker and its scientists reach the destination and they spend the next year drifting through the Arctic Ocean.
A total of around 600 people from 17 countries are planning to send their icebreakers and aircraft for this expedition mission. They are participating in the arctic mission.
The researcher with their team would analyze the gathered data to do a detailed study on the impacts of climate change in the region and these data of climate change would be helpful in understanding and knowing the climate change pattern of the rest of the world.
Benefits of MOSAiC Mission
The following points are the benefits of MOSAiC Mission.
The MOSAiC Mission is a collaborative step in order to understand the reasons behind climate change in the polar region.
The results of the research gained through the MOSAiC mission will be used to increase understanding of knowledge of the regional and global consequences of Arctic climate change.
The mission or project is necessary for understanding the reasons behind the sea-ice loss and improve weather and climate predictions.
The MOSAiC project would support safer maritime and offshore operations. It is promoting coastal-community resilience and contributing to an improved scientific basis for future traffic along northern sea routes.
Objectives of MOSAiC Mission
The Objectives of MOSAiC Mission are given below.
The MOSAiC Mission was established to contribute to the understanding that is linked with the Arctic climate system and its representation in global climate models.
The main focus of research is in the direction of in-situ observations of the climate changes that are related to the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem.
The aim of the project is to give parameters to the oceanographic, atmospheric, geophysical, and all other possible variables in the Arctic, and use them to more accurately forecast the changes in our weather systems.
The results of the MOSAiC mission are important. The project is working in order to get the results that would be helpful in gaining knowledge about the regional and global consequences of Arctic climate change.
Research Areas of MOSAiC Mission
The primary goal of the MOSAiC Mission is to understand the coupled climate processes in the Central Arctic in order to integrate them in a more accurate way into regional and global climate models. The research would be helpful in creating more reliable climate projections for the Arctic and globally, to improve weather forecasts and better Arctic sea ice forecasts. Some of the major research Areas of MOSAic Mission are as follows.
Atmosphere
The atmospheric measurements carried out during the MOSAiC Mission gives a basis for understanding interactions among the atmosphere, sea ice and the ocean. To a better understanding of the lower troposphere, some processes need to be understood such as the characterisation of processes in clouds, in the atmospheric boundary layer, surface layer and surface energy flux interacts with the surface in the Arctic. Some research was performed for the improvement of understanding of aerosols and aerosol-cloud interactions over the Central Arctic. In the winter season, measurements were taken on the composition of the particles, their physical properties, their direct and indirect radiation effects, and their interactions with cloud properties.
Sea Ice
The sea-ice covers a broad range of the physical and mechanical characteristics of the Arctic. The research on sea ice was focused on covering snow of the Arctic and ice cover was helping to get a better understanding of the processes that determine their properties. The observations noticed in the snow ice of the Arctic helped the researchers gather this valuable data.
Ocean
Ocean processes are responsible for the energy balance in the Arctic. The growth and melting of sea ice are happening due to the warmness generated by global warming. The ocean is important for the biological activity that binds and potentially exports Carbon dioxide. Measurements from the water column will open new ways to understand ocean mechanisms in Arctics. The dynamics and thermodynamics of the mixing layers of oceans are exploring day by day.
Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry
The three major regimes where all the focus is bases are the ice, snow and water environments. All the observations on biological and biogeochemical transformation and succession are on analysing samples from these regimes. In addition to that, the flow measurements were conducted at both the ice or water and ice or air boundary layers.
Institution Contributing in MOSAiC Mission
The following international Institutes have contributed to the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate Project.
The Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany
This institute is conducting research in the Arctic, the Antarctic Oceans. The Alfred Wegener Institute is following innovative approaches, outstanding research infrastructure and years of expertise. The Institute is exploring different aspects of the earth system from the atmosphere to the ocean.
Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
It is also doing research on Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. It is exploring ice life and the ocean and providing the base for the research for future generations as well. It has provided a contribution to the MOSAiC Mission.
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Russia
The oldest and largest Russian research institute is the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI). The institute is working in the field of comparative studies of the Arctic and Antarctica. It is situated in Saint Petersburg. AARI had organized several Arctic expeditions.
The University of Colorado, USA
The University of Colorado Boulder is a university in Boulder, Colorado. The University performs research operations in the field of the Public sector. The University of Colorado is classified under the category of an R1 University which means it is engaged in a very high level of research activity.
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, USA
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) is a partnership between CU Boulder and NOAA. Different environmental scientists' works are conducted by it to understand the dynamic Earth system. The CIRES is also working on knowing the relation of humans with the planet.
Do You Know?
Vishnu Nandan is a polar researcher from Kerala. He is the only Indian polar researcher among 300 scientists from across the world aboard the MOSAiC expedition.
Conclusion
The results of the research associated with MOSAiC would contribute to increased understanding of the regional and global consequences of Arctic climate change and sea-ice loss and improve weather and climate predictions. An international consortium of leading polar research institutions has designed the project under the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). IASC is a scientific research international organization. Hence many institutes and nations are now understanding the importance of climate change and stepping in maintaining the climate of the world.
FAQs on MOSAIC Mission
1. Why study about changes in the Arctic is important?
The Arctic is an area of global climate change. Here warming rates are exceeding twice the global average and warming during winter is even larger.
It is also possible that the Arctic Ocean will become free from ice in the summer during the 21st century. This sudden change would strongly affect weather and climate conditions in the whole northern hemisphere and fuels rapid economic development in the Arctic. To maintain the climate change of the globe the study of changes in the Arctic ocean is important.
2. Who launched the MOSAiC Mission?
The MOSAic Mission was led by atmospheric scientists Markus Rex, Klaus Dethloff and Matthew Shupe. The MOSAiC Mission was supervised under the guidance of Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. The Mission is a one-year-long expedition working into the Central Arctic. It worked from 2019 to 2020. The MOSAiC Mission was begun in September 2019 after the departure of German research icebreaker Polarstern from Tromso, Norway. The icebreaker and its scientists reach the destination and they spend the next year drifting through the Arctic Ocean. It was the first time that modern research icebreakers had to operate the nearly half year-long polar night during winter.
