I am not aware of these types of studies being carried out in polar regions, but maybe I should inform myself better since I'm not sure. There are some research grants to conduct research in Polar regions but sometimes they are not very well spread I highly suggest you follow APECS news and Instagram (apecs.norway) we try to spread offers related to Norway.

I personally have never been to Antarctica, I haven't tried it either, so I don't know exactly how difficult it is to get a job there. But taking into account the experience of colleagues and some of the job offers I have seen I think it is important to have some previous experience in polar environments as well as having some physical fitness and mental strength. I would say that in all or almost all long-stay selection processes both physical and psychological tests are carried out. For fieldwork, I guess it's like everything else in science, it's important to have a good CV and be lucky to find the research team at the time they run a project in Antarctica. However, not only researchers have the opportunity to work there. On the research stations, there are jobs for computer scientists, mechanics, cooks, divers, and much more. There is also more and more tourism in Antarctica and there is a need for guides with experience in extreme situations to fill these jobs. Safety courses and experience in polar regions/high mountain areas I personally think are highly valued when it comes to getting a job in Antarctica.

What's the strangest thing, man made or otherwise, that you've come across while exploring in the Arctic?

I currently live in Tromsø, a great city surrounded by mountains. You can practice lots of outdoor activities here like kayaking, skiing, climbing, diving, biking and much more!!! If you are a city person maybe this is not your place even though there are some students and tourism so even if there is a small city there are some things to do in the city and some ambiance in the bar! My favorite activity in winter is skiing the landscape is amazing and the mountains are so close that you can go after work!! But unfortunately this year I am not able to ski due to an injury and I have to confess that this winter is harder mentally because the winter is very long up here! Relating to dating a fun fact is that many couples I know here fell in love during a stay in Svalbard :P

Hello! Danielle here, I'm a PhD student working primarily in the Arctic marine environment. This is a fun question -- mainly I have spent time on ice breakers during field campaigns as well as a bit of time up in Svalbard. The research ships can have a very intense environment, after a couple of days it really starts to feel like you have spent weeks together with the same group of people. This is really a perfect setting for people to meet new ship-romances (whether they admit it or not that is a second thing) -- but I agree with one of the other comments from Stefan earlier, a lot of these field campaigns seem to be their own social experiments in a way! In my experience there is also a high likely hood that any flirty behaviour is noticed by the rest of the crew pretty fast, for me it always ends up feeling a little bit like you are at an adult summer camp forming some pretty deep connections while also "giggling" a bit about different developing relationships. For the second part of your question about what do to for fun -- Svalbard is a really incredible place to explore! Personally, I am pretty excited to be outdoors at home but in Svalbard it is on another level, and with the added element of having to keep polar bear safety in mind for even small hikes! :) Thanks for the question!

Hi! This is Eva a Phd student in zooplankton ecosystem dynamics at UiT(Tromsø,Norway).

It has been shown that mercury accumulates in fish tissue, and humans who consume a lot of fish may consume elevated levels of mercury. The content f mercury is directly correlated with fish size. In 2006 it was reported Greenland halibut (GH) caught in the Barents Sea had shown mercury levels exceeding the European Union’s upper limit of 0.5 mg/kg wet weight. After this, a larger Study was initiated to gain more knowledge about mercury and other metal concentrations in GH. This larger Study showed that mercury concentrations in Greenland halibut fillets were higher than those found in other marine species living in the Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, and North Sea and 14% of the analyzed fish contained elevated levels of mercury. In this study, it was found that mercury concentrations varied geographically, with much lower levels found in the shallower waters in the easternmost parts of the Barents Sea than in the deeper areas along the shelf slope. Because of this further investigation must be done to be able to know better know the sources of polluted metals such as studies relating to the diet of GH. But for the moment the source of these metals is associated with air emissions. So the reduction of Hg emissions will protect the environment and human health. You can look at this study model based which shows a temporal decrease in mercury in GH and they associate Hg in GH to Hg air emissions, decreasing trophic position, and lower demersal prey use.

Sources:

Bank, M. S., Frantzen, S., Duinker, A., Amouroux, D., Tessier, E., Nedreaas, K., ... & Nilsen, B. M. (2021). Rapid temporal decline of mercury in Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). Environmental Pollution, 289, 117843.

Julshamn, K., Frantzen, S., Valdersnes, S., Nilsen, B., Maage, A., & Nedreaas, K. (2011). Concentrations of mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead in Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) caught off the coast of northern Norway. Marine Biology Research, 7(8), 733-745.

Are human-subject psychometric research conducted there? What research grants can a scientist apply to for the opportunity to conduct research in the Polar regions? Should one be looking out for NSF type grants or is this something more specific?

Thank you!

Question from our social media: How difficult is it to get a position with field work in Antarctica? What about positions that aren't in research...

what's the social and dating life like up/down there? tell us some shenanigans! what do you do for fun that you normally wouldn't do if you were back home?

What shoes did you use and did your feet get bigger as you went?

When fishing in Arctic Norway the authorities have banned the taking of halibut larger than 1m because of the risk of biological magnification of heavy metals. Is the Arctic really that polluted with mercury, etc.? If so, what's the source of these metals?

I am certainly not a nutritionist, but your body burns a lot of calories trying to stay warm when you are out in the extreme cold of the polar regions. Making sure you eat high caloric density foods (e.g., high protein and fat foods) before you go out onto the sea ice or on a long snowmobile drive to your sampling site, for example, will help keep your core warm. Dehydration is also something to watch out for. People generally don't drink enough water when it's cold because you don't experience thirst the same way as when it is hot and humid around you, and people don't want to drink cold water when it's well below freezing outside! So a thermos of water, tea or soup is your best friend to stay hydrated and warm while in the field.

Being in isolated and remote places like at the poles definitely presents its own challenges in research. Being on a research vessel or research station means you live and work with the same group of people for weeks to months on end. Psychologically, it can be difficult to handle. For Antarctic research stations in particular, this is something that is considered before allowing scientists to overwinter, for instance. For those who were in the field during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a bit apocalyptic to be hearing news of a global viral outbreak while isolated in the middle of the Arctic or Antarctic! Most researchers I work with, however, LOVE the lifestyle of time in the field and at sea. You get to go to some of the most remote places and see things few people on the planet get to experience.

I think like most things in life, the experience on a research ship or station depends on the people. In my experience, people are very creative with finding was to keep entertained when you can't simply go out downtown for dinner with friends or see the newest movie in the cinema. If you have a good group of people to work with, the experience will be fun, productive, and respectful (i.e., less hierarchical). But authority is also an interesting experience on ships in particular. The scientists on board only control the science. The captain and crew are responsible for safe navigating, etc. We still adopt some of the historic dynamics of seafaring which was very hierarchical. The captain is the ultimate authority.

In short, being on a research ship or a research station is certainly a very interesting social experiment!

In polar areas what should be the best diet to keep our body warm?

thats excellent, I guess I am interested to hear about the culture that science exists in, the diversity that exists on polar stations and ships is nothing like you would experience in say a research vessel off a reef, being more isolated and extreme environment (analogous to a space station in some ways) and I wondered if that was something you noticed or saw being across all of polar research environments or if it varies much across environments?

Apparently, yes! Historically, ham radio was one of the only ways of quickly communicating in remote places, including research stations in the Arctic and Antarctic. But there are still operators today, for instance, in remote parts of Canada, Greenland and in Antarctica. It's a useful back-up system for communication since satellite and internet communications can easily be lost in bad weather, but it also provides a fun activity too!

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It is difficult to compare all of the programs since each country has its own customs and culture. One of the greatest parts about polar science is that the research community is very diverse! You don't have to live in or be from the Arctic (or even remotely near Antarctica) to do research there. The Arctic, is a little different from the Antarctic since it is home to many Indigenous Peoples. However, many research programs, especially in Canada, now include Indigenous Peoples in the research process and incorporate Indigenous knowledge into science, policy, and management through respectful partnerships.

I'm not sure if that got to the root of your question so feel free to ask more follow up if not!

Many nations are involved in polar research. In Antarctica, more than 40 countries operate research stations across the continent. Some of the countries producing the most Antarctic science, I would say, are (not in a particular order) Germany, United Kingdom, United States, and Australia which all have very large and active Antarctic research programs and infrastructure. However, there are a lot of other countries with dedicated Antarctic research programs and vessels too like South Korea, France, Italy, etc.

There are some private endeavors in polar research still, despite the expense! Some companies like National Geographic, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and others support Antarctic research. There are also a lot of efforts in Antarctica for citizen science in collaboration with tourist ships which are also a private source of "funding" for research.

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And a followup - how are you treated as scientists in each program, is it the same all around or are some more everyone is equal and others have a bit more segregated?

Beyond the science and into the funding, which nations are doing a good job of polar, particularly Antarctic research and which aren't doing such a good job? And is there much hope for privately funded research or is it still too expensive?

Any ham radio going on at the poles?