THE B.I.G. ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION
A scientific exploration of Arctic ice and snow
– Before It’s Gone..
Since 2021, the B.I.G. Expedition team under the leadership of British Polar Explorer, Felicity Aston MBE, have been making annual ski journeys across the Arctic region to collect valuable scientific data about Arctic ice and snow – BEFORE IT’S GONE.
The Arctic region is experiencing climate and environmental change more rapidly than anywhere else on the planet, meaning our opportunity to measure and record many of the unique Arctic landscapes and processes which are fundamental to so much of the world’s climate systems has never been more vital or more urgent.
Working with key scientific collaborators, the expedition is gathering data that will be made freely available to researchers using open access datasets, as well as being used in a number of studies to further understanding of the Arctic and the changes being observed. These studies are being undertaken by institutions in the UK, the US and beyond, and include investigations of airborne microplastics, heavy metal pollution, black carbon, arctic clouds, albedo and snow depth as well as psychology in extreme environments.
“I, along with everyone at The White Feather Foundation, am proud to support this truly historic mission to help us understand the impacts of climate change.
Not only will the team’s sea ice research provide vital scientific information, that has never previously been available, but I also see the incredible importance in the research they will conduct, regarding their mental health and the dangers these courageous women will endure, on their journey. Their work will empower all of us to take the best actions possible, to minimise the damage to our planet and all of her inhabitants.”
JULIAN LENNON, FOUNDER OF THE WHITE FEATHER FOUNDATION
To date, four ski expeditions in the Arctic region have been undertaken as part of the B.I.G. project. These expeditions have allowed the team to collect data from Arctic glaciers, sea ice in Arctic fjords (known as fast ice) and from Arctic Ocean pack ice.
The science completed on each journey is valuable in its own right but together it creates a pan-Arctic dataset that only enhances its combined value as a tool for regional insight.
As well as scientific aims, the expeditions - which have taken place in Iceland, Svalbard and Nunavut, Arctic Canada - have also been a physical challenge. The teams are entirely human-powered, hauling everything they need in sledges behind them as they travel by ski in temperatures that can fall as low as -40C/F and camp out in tents on the ice and snow.
The teams have needed to navigate difficult terrain, the hazards of travel on sea ice, the threat of encountering polar bears and at times wild and problematic Arctic weather. Forming an extra difficulty unique to these expeditions, rather than the sledges getting lighter with time as supplies are used, the sledges pulled by the team get significantly heavier as snow, ice and water samples are collected. Typically, the expeditions return with >80kg of samples!
Flag carrier expedition for:
“This group of strong women have my full support in what they are setting out to achieve, particularly in conducting crucial research about the state of ice around the polar cap.
During my lifetime I have seen the impact of climate change, with increased forest fires, flooding, rising temperatures and sea levels rising at their fastest rate for 2,000 years. We are facing a climate emergency and my generation will be judged by subsequent ones on how it responds. We have got to push for change, with government’s key in making essential policy changes. We all have a part to play in saving the planet. I want there to be a healthy natural world for my children and grandchildren to enjoy. I commend the B.I.G North Pole team for the way they are highlighting this urgent issue and making people stop and think.”
SARAH FERGUSON - DUCHESS OF YORK
The Team
Gathered together by British polar explorer, Felicity Aston MBE, the B.I.G. project team is an ever-expanding group of likeminded women who want to ‘give back’ while challenging themselves in some of the toughest environments on the planet. Hailing from the UK, the US, France and Ireland, each team member has brought unique talents to the project which has helped shape it into the success it has become.
The team are each accomplished adventurers but none have ever embarked on expeditions quite like this. The expedition serves to prove that everyone has a valuable part to play in the global effort to create a better future for our planet.
