Arrived at Svalbard and realised just how beautiful the surroundings are north of the Arctic Circle. S/V Linden was waiting for me at the dock in Longyearbyen surrounded by snow-capped mountains.Linden is a three-masted wooden schooner powered with 365 square meters of sail and well equipped for adventures in the high Arctic. This schooner is built in Åland in 1993 as a replica of the original Linden of 1920. It is the biggest wooden schooner in Europe still sailing. Linden is made for sailing the cold Baltic Sea, and its ice-strengthened hull enables it to take on the sea ice in Svalbard’s waters.There is almost 50 meters of Linden lengthways and 9 meters across. The spacious outdoor viewing decks are a key feature. You have full 360 degrees view of the Arctic landscape with the opportunity to photograph wildlife nearly at eye level. From the rooftop or the top of the mast, you can spot wildlife even further away. Read much more about S/V Linden here www.sv-linden.com.
On board S/V Linden we will set the Manta trawl and collect data from the arctic waters of Svalbard to determine the amount of microplastic on the ocean surface and thereby the extent of plastic pollution and create awareness on the impact plastic pollution has on the marine environment and wildlife. The Arctic areas are some of the most desolated and distant areas with very little human activity, and at the same time an area with a thriving wildlife.
The Manta trawl is a 60 cm fine weaved trawl which is set for 30 min on the sea surface. The trawl will collect everything on the sea surface and afterwards everything in the trawl will be analysed for microplastic. All data is shared with the American institute 5Gyres (1). 5Gyres collects data from research projects all over the world in order to map out how plastic pollution develops in terms of volume and area. The fist trawl has been sat and the first sample collected. The Plastic Expedition has begun.
#5GyresTrawlShare
Regitze Andersen