How travelers are involved in Arctic Science

For only about the Pole, I argued, could all shadows be of equal length.2

There is a difference between having a scientist on board and actually taking part in scientific work. Travelers can observe things that researchers cannot always observe themselves simply because they cannot be physically present in every remote location. When those observations are collected according to proper scientific methods, they can become useful data.

That possibility changes the role of a traveler. You are still there to experience the Arctic, but you can also contribute something that continues beyond your own journey.

Modern Scientific Research during PONANT's arctic and North Pole Journeys

When Travelers Become Observers of Arctic Science

One of the simplest forms of citizen science is observation.

Guests can keep careful records of what they see, when they see it and where they see it. If observations are collected consistently across many journeys, they can eventually contribute to a much larger picture of a remote environment over time.

The important part is how the information is collected.

A scientific project needs a clear question. It needs a methodology that participants can follow. Observations need to be standardised so that information collected by different people can actually be compared. There also needs to be somewhere for the data to go, quality control to check it, and researchers who can use it. Ideally, the project contributes to a dataset that continues beyond a single expedition.

Without those elements, taking notes or photographs may still be interesting, but it is not necessarily meaningful scientific participation.

The Shadow as a Scientific Instrument

As late 19th century explorers moved north, their own shadows became another way of reading their position. Frederick Cook noticed a distinct change after the 88th parallel: the shadows changed in length, colour and definition. At the Pole, the shadow at midnight was essentially the same as at midday because the sun remained at roughly the same height above the horizon throughout the twenty-four-hour cycle.¹

Cook then turned this observation into a deliberate measurement. At the Pole, he and E-tuk-i-shook marked the end of a shadow every hour for twenty-four hours, creating a circle in the snow. Cook regarded the resulting pattern as an additional indication that they had reached the Pole.²

Two members of Cook's expedition in front of their Iglo on the North Pole, who by measuring their shadows used their findings for proof that they reached the pole

Science Can Change the Experience

Taking part in research also changes the way a traveler approaches a destination.

It is very different from an ordinary day at the office. You are engaging with something unfamiliar and new, and you are paying attention in a different way.

That can make a journey much more memorable.

This is particularly relevant to intellectually curious travelers. There is always something more to learn in the polar regions, and for people who enjoy learning throughout their lives, the opportunity to participate rather than simply observe can add another dimension to the expedition.

There is also something quite humbling about contributing to something larger than yourself. Your individual observation may seem small, but when observations are collected over time and across different journeys, they can become part of a much broader record.

The Ship Can Be Part of the Research

Some expedition operators have understood this potential particularly well.

PONANT, for example, has developed an approach in which its presence in polar regions extends beyond operating a luxury expedition vessel. Le Commandant Charcot has two laboratories on board, creating opportunities for scientific work alongside the journeys taking place in these remote environments. That creates an interesting relationship between travelers, local communities and researchers.

The traveler does not suddenly become a scientist. The value comes from participating in a properly designed project under appropriate guidance. That distinction matters when evaluating scientific participation on an expedition. We would want to understand who is behind the project, what they are trying to study, how the information is collected and what happens to it afterwards.

You May Also Enjoy

• What Actually Is the Arctic?

• What Can a Glacier Tell Us?

• Who Actually Makes an Expedition Work?

• Why Are We Still Fascinated by Polar Exploration?

When Science Becomes Part of the Journey

If science is an important part of why you travel to the arctic, it is worth looking beyond the itinerary itself. Ask what research is taking place, who is leading it, how travelers can participate and what happens to the information afterwards. We can help identify expeditions where scientific work is genuinely integrated into the experience, so your time in the polar regions becomes an opportunity to learn, observe and contribute.

The Arctic is about far more than reaching a remote destination. Explore our broader approach to Expedition Travel.

Footnotes

1. T. McCarthy (Ed.), The Greatest Polar Exploration Stories Ever Told (Lyons Press, 2004), “In Search for Franklin,” pp. 138–139.

2. Ibid., p. 140.