The North Pole is one of the geographical regions where the effects of climate change are observed more clearly. A study published in July 2022, for example, indicated that Arctic temperatures are increasing four times faster than global warming, while similar research released last December detailed that the Arctic is becoming hotter, wetter and stormier due to the climate change.
The modern satellite systems and the scientific bases in service in areas such as the Svalbard archipelago (Norway, Arctic Glacial Ocean) now allow us to know the climatic and environmental conditions in this polar area in more detail than ever before. Despite this, the scientific community recognizes that there are still many unknowns about the impact that climate change is having and will have on Arctic ecosystems, both on the surface and in the ice caps and sea beds.
In a daring and innovative attempt to resolve some of these uncertainties, the Tara Ocean Foundation has been working for eight years on the design of what can be considered the first floating scientific base in the Arctic, the Tara Polar Station. One of the few projects comparable to Tara's is the Russian arctic research vessel Severny Polyus, currently in the testing phase.
The Tara Polar Station project has now taken a decisive step forward with the construction of the structure of the future polar base to the company Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie, in Cherbourg (France).
The floating frame of this scientific station, which will have capacity for up to 22 crew members, will most likely be completed and tested by the end of 2024. The construction of this platform has a budget of 15 million euros.
“We have been working on this project for 8 years. The pandemic made us lose 2 years but we finally managed to convince the partners and the French state, and the financing plan within the France 2030 strategic plan was completed”, explained Romain Troublé, director of the Tara Ocean Foundation.
The Tara Polar Station will be an oval structure made of aluminum, 23 meters long by 14 meters wide and 2.3 meters deep. The Tara Ocean Foundation has extensive experience in navigation in polar areas, in the Arctic and the Antarctic, with ships such as the Tara schooner.
The promoter team calculates that in 2025, after a 3-4 month test in a Greenland fjord, the Tara Polar Station platform will begin its journey to the North Pole. In March 2026, the first full scientific team could be incorporated. The first research season could last 400 days and would be dedicated to the study of the environmental conditions of the atmosphere, ice and water.
In fact, the Tara Polar Station will have specialized equipment to facilitate immersions and taking samples under the sea. The interior of the base will be prepared to facilitate the life and work of the crew, a large part of which will belong to the Center National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), while outside it will register up to 50 degrees below zero.
