Scientists will drift across the Arctic, locked inside sea ice for 8 months to watch an ocean survive its darkest, coldest season

Scientists are set to drift across the Arctic Ocean for eight months inside sea ice in the Tara Polaris I mission, aiming to observe how the central Arctic ecosystem survives the coldest part of the year. The plan involves 12 participants—scientists, engineers, sailors, and a physician—on the 26-meter research vessel and platform Tara Polar Station. This July, it is scheduled to leave France, then pick up researchers in northern Norway before entering Russian waters. By mid-September 2026, the ship is expected to be encased in pack ice, drifting through Arctic winter into spring with up to 500 days of operational autonomy. Tara Polaris I is the first of 10 planned drifts over 20 years and follows an EU and nine-country agreement from June 2021 to ban commercial fishing in the central Arctic for at least 16 years.