Hint: It's not "Frozen"
In 2019, the Swedish Icebreaker Oden sailed into the Northwest Passage with a team led by the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO). Expedition participants included scientists, education professionals, a journalist, an Arctic scholar, and 23 graduate and undergraduate students from across the United States.
The Northwest
Passage Project was conceived to conduct innovative scientific
research related to Arctic climate change, provide hands-on training and
research experiences for students, and share the importance of this visually
stunning Arctic region with the public.
On February 25 at 3p.m., GSO’s Inner Space Center will host a virtual screening of the documentary “Frozen Obsession,” which follows the 2019 expedition through the high Arctic.
Following the film screening, there will be
a panel discussion and Q&A session with GSO project leaders Gail Scowcroft
and Brice Loose, GSO graduate student Jacob Strock, and the film’s producer
David Clark. GSO’s Holly Morin will serve as host and moderator. This event is
free and open to the public.
To
register for the event please go to: http://bit.ly/frozen-uri
“Frozen Obsession” follows the 18-day, 2,000-mile Northwest Passage Project expedition through the stunningly beautiful and extreme Canadian Arctic aboard the Oden. The expedition is led by an interdisciplinary team of scientists from GSO, its Inner Space Center, and award-winning filmmaker David Clark.
The Inner Space
Center, an international hub for ocean research, exploration, and education, is
a world leader in the use of advanced communication technologies, such as
telepresence, to expand the reach of oceanographic research.
The
documentary provides a bird’s eye view of how climate change—a critical
scientific and societal issue—is impacting the Arctic region and how scientists
are striving to better understand these impacts. Nowhere on Earth are the
consequences of a warming climate more pronounced and observable than in the
polar regions.
“It
is important for people everywhere on Earth to see and understand how this
region affects all of us,” said Scowcroft. “The region’s meltwater, water
circulation, and exchange of greenhouse gases between the ocean and the
atmosphere are causing wide-scale environmental and climatic changes, which
increasingly affect people and wildlife diversity around the world.”
During the expedition, the Northwest Passage Project team studied water chemistry, microbiology, birds, marine mammals, and physical oceanography – all in radical transition due to a warming Arctic climate.
In addition to documenting the scientific research, “Frozen Obsession” explores the rich cultural heritage and natural history of the region.
The expedition team visited an Inuit community to witness first-hand how the Arctic’s indigenous people are coping with climate change, graves from the doomed 19th century Franklin sailing expedition, and areas teaming with wildlife.
The film also explores the
geopolitics of the Arctic, as increasing resource extraction, commercial
vessels, cruise ships, and military patrol craft now traverse this once
isolated region.
As “Frozen Obsession” bears witness to a dramatically changing Arctic and the urgent efforts of science to understand the consequences, the public can gain a sobering assessment of what’s at stake.
However, in a hopeful turn, the film
also witnesses the exhilarating life-changing experiences of participating
students, who represent the next generation of scientists and decision makers
and who will surely make a difference in the world.
The
Northwest Passage Project is supported by the National Science Foundation with
additional support from the Heising-Simons Foundation.