Azzolini, R.

Biebow, Nicole

Lembke-Jene, Lester

Thiede, Jörn

Willmott, Veronica

Wolff-Boenisch, Bonnie

English

Electronic Publication Information Center

Towards a European Research Icebreaker and Deep Sea Drilling Facility for Polar Research: ERICON-AURORA BOREALIS1* 1 2 2 1 3Willmott V , Lembke-Jene L , Azzolini R , Wolff-Boenisch B , Biebow N , Thiede J*Email: 1Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, D-27570  Bremerhaven, Germany 2European Polar Board, European Science Foundation, F-67080 Strasbourg, France1,3Department of Geography and. Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, DenmarkVeronica.Willmott@awi.deThe ERICON-AB project is currently generating a Science Perspective document for the first fifteen operational years of the vessel. The Science Perspective will focus on the key questions and will provide the long-term scientific rationale and the roadmap for international strategic use of the vessel. This Science Perspective is based on:- the scientific excellence - the integration of the European Countries' polar capacities and perspectivesTHE PROJECTThe AURORA BOREALIS is planned as:- a heavy icebreaker with the highest ice class- powered to break continuously in more than 2.5 m of multi-year ice and - able to manage ridges of more than 15 m- to autonomously perform dynamic positioning in pack ice of more than 2 m thickness while deploying the entire suite of drilling equipment and analytical tools The ship shall perform year-round research tasks including scientific drilling in the Arctic and Antarctic without any support vessels. The main task is to perform multi-disciplinary polar and marine research as a European large-scale research infrastructure, including long-term sustained service as a mobile polar observatory and conducting extensive bathymetric, geophysical, biological and other survey works.THE SCIENCE PERSPECTIVEThe European Research Icebreaker Consortium - AURORA BOREALIS (ERICON-AB) was established in 2008 to plan the scientific, governance, financial and legal frameworks needed for the construction and operation of the first multi-nationally owned and operated research icebreaker and polar scientific drilling platform. ERICON-AB Science Advisory PanelTheme 1LARGE-SCALE PROCESSES OF OCEAN, ICE AND ATMOSPHERECHRISTIAN HAASUniversity of AlbertaCANADASUSANNE HANSONDanish Meteorological InstituteDENMARKKAREN HEYWOODUniversity East AngliaUKJOHNNY JOHANNESSENNERSC NORWAYALEXANDER  KLEPIKOVAARIRUSSIAGERT KOENIG -LANGLO AWIGERMANYMATTI PERTTILAEFIRM FINLANDTheme 2THE POLAR BIOSPHEREULRICH BATHMANNAWIGERMANYANGELIKA BRANDT University of HamburgGERMANYJEAN HENRY HECQ University of LiegeBELGIUMDANIEL PRIEURUniversity of BrestFRANCESØREN RYSGAARDGreenland Institute of Natural ResourcesGREENLANDMARINO VACCHIICRAM ITALYTheme 3POLAR PALEO-CLIMATE AND PALAEO -ENVIRONMENTHENK BRINKHUIS University of Utrecht THE NETHERLANSCARLOTA ESCUTIAUniversity of GranadaSPAINRAINA I. HRISTOVA IOMGBULGARIASTEPHEN PEKARQUEENS COLLEGENY, USARUEDIGER STEINAWIGERMANYANNE DE VERNALUniversity of QuebécCANADATheme 4THE POLAR OCEAN’S GEOLOGICAL HISTORYBERNARD COAKLEY University of AlaskaUSAJAN INGE FALEIDEUniversity of OsloNORWAYMARTIN JAKOBSSONUniversity of StockholmSWEDENYNGVE  KRISTOFFERSENUniversity of BergenNORWAY Theme 5SEAFLOOR PROCESSES AND NATURAL HAZARDSANGELO CAMERLENGHIUniversity of BarcelonaSPAINGEORGYCHERKASHOVMoscow UniversityRUSSIACurrently 28 members from 17 countriesThe ERICON-AB Science Advisory Panel (ESAP) is a scientific consultative body established within the project. It provides the Consortium with efficient expert advice for the ERICON–AURORA BOREALIS Science Plan drafting as well as other relevant scientific and professional community activities. Topic 1 : The Changing Polar Oceans, Ice and AtmosphereTopic 2 : The Polar BiosphereTopic 3 : Polar Paleoclimate and PaleoenvironmentTopic 4 : The Polar Ocean‘s Geological HistoryTopic 5 : Seafloor Processes and Natural Hazards1. Why is Arctic sea ice decreasing and Antarctic sea ice is not?2. Stability of ice shelves, glaciers and ice caps, and their influence on sea level rise3. Which are the Polar sources and sinks of CO2 and other gases?4. Extending the global climate observing system into polar oceans5. Which are the climatic consequences of changes in dense water formation?6. Changing polar ocean circulation, biogeochemistry and earth system impacts7. Improving weather and sea-ice forecasts1. What would humankind loose if the biosphere of Polar Regions is not investigated before irreversible changes occur in Polar ecosystems?2.What are the likely consequences of a changing environment forecosystem functioning and ecosystem services provided by the polarbiosphere?3. What role has a permanent ice cover in maintaining ecosystem structure and functioning?4. How will global biogeochemical cycles be influenced by changingbiological systems in Polar Regions?1. Which are the sedimentary processes on sheves, slopes and deep basins?2. Cold seeps and sub-surface fluid circulation in polar regions3. Gas-hydrates distribution, properties and dynamics4. Submarine permafrost: distribution, morphology, stability5. Continental slope stability assessment in polar areas6. Seismicity and paleosismicity in polar areas1. Timing and mechanisms behind opening of Arctic and Antarctic gateways2. Formation of Arctic and Antarctic basins- Dynamics- Subsidence history- Crustal thickness, composition, structure1. Extreme Climates - What can we learn from the past to explain the future? 2. How sensible is the climate system and which are the rates and amplitudes of sea level change?3. Paleo-ecosystems: biodiversity and biogeography 4. Transition between Greenhouse and Icehouse Worlds 5. Bipolarity of climate change: connection between the southern and northern hemisphere polar regions6. What is the role of polar oceans in the carbon cycle? NOV   2010 DECEMBER JANUARY   2011 FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL2nd ESAPMeeting at EGU1st ESAP meetingat ESFGROUP COORDINATIONMAY  JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBERDEADLINE ESAP contributionTEMATIC GROUP MEETINGS IF REQUIREDTEMATIC GROUP MEETINGS IF REQUIREDDeadline SSU contributionNOVEMBER   2011 DECEMBER JANUARY   2012 FEBRUARY MARCH APRILSCIENCE PLAN PUBLICATION / PRESENTATION TO MEDIASCIENCE PLAN FINAL VERSIONEnd of the projectSCIENCE PLAN PUBLIC REVIEWSCIENCE PERSPECTIVE -      - TIME SCHEDULEGROUP COORDINATIONMICHAEL IVANOV Moscow UniversityRUSSIANICOLAE PANIN GEOMARROMENIAMICHELE REBESCOOGS ITALYKARL FRIEDRIKFORSBERGNGINORWAY

Towards a European Research Icebreaker and Deep Sea Drilling Facility for Polar Research: ERICON-AURORA BOREALIS

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