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Northeast Passage expedition

Northeast Passage expedition route

It is now 130 years since the famous Swedish/Finnish explorer Nordenskiöld finished his voyage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the Northeast Passage, the ice-fringed thread of water through the Russian Arctic.

At that time his ship, the Vega, was stuck in the ice for 10 months.

Due to climate change, it is now possible to navigate the passage by sailboat, and without the support of an icebreaker.

This summer the Swedish polar explorer Ola Skinnarmo and WWF are attempting to sail through the Northeast Passage, to document and highlight the incredible pace of change in the region.

The expedition started on 15 June from Stockholm and is scheduled to last until September, approximately the time the Arctic sea ice reaches its annual minimum level.

WWF's Neil Hamilton will be on board for the first half of the trip, together with Dr Tom Arnbom, and Geoff York for the second half. They will be blogging their way along the route.

Track their progress on this map

Read Neil Hamilton's reflections on the first half of the trip

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WWF's Neil Hamilton joins the Explorer's Northeast Passage journey.

 

Dr Neil Hamilton, Director, WWF International Arctic Programme

Dr Neil Hamilton

Dr Neil Hamilton is the Director of the WWF International Arctic Programme, and Leader of the WWF Arctic Network Initiative.

WWF has increased its commitment to the Arctic and Dr Hamilton is charged with shaping it. He has led the Oslo-based Arctic Programme for the past two years and recruited expertise in climate change, Arctic species, governance, and communications. He also leads a larger international team that brings in experts in shipping, oil and gas, and other areas.

Geoff York, WWF Arctic Programme Polar Bear Coordinator

Geoff York, WWF Arctic Programme Polar Bear Coordinator

Geoff York is coordinator of WWF’s Polar Bear Conservation Program, researching the animal that has become a strong symbol for climate change. He is based in the WWF Alaska field office, working closely with the Kamchatka/Bering Sea team as well as with the broader WWF team throughout the circumpolar Arctic.

Read more about Geoff and his work with polar bears.

Dr Tom Arnbom

Dr Tom Arnbom, WWF-Sweden Arctic Coordinator

Tom is a biologist and is the Arctic Coordinator for WWF Sweden. Formerly a member of the the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, he has many years of polar experience in both the Arctic and Antarctic studying marine mammals.

WWF Arctic twitter feed

  • 07/02/12 > WWF_Arctic: WWF_Arctic: Slapped belugas and suffocated bowheads: first-hand accounts of orca predation in the Arctic http://t.co/kYUVY5bM #killerwhale
  • 06/02/12 > WWF_Arctic: WWF_Arctic: Check out the great work done by our Alaska-based Arctic field program this year in the US and Russia: http://t.co/gzP7c5TN (pdf)
  • 01/02/12 > WWF_Arctic: WWF_Arctic: Video shows how global temps have compared to the average over the past 100+ years. Keep an eye on the #Arctic: http://t.co/3tYVA8aQ

Expedition links

Climate links

How you can help

This trip should be impossible due to the sea ice which should cover the Arctic Ocean, but it is melting very fast: we have lost almost half already.  This year could beat the 'record' set in 2007.  We will take this message to Copenhagen in December.

Neil Hamilton