Wind sled in the Arctic. /
SDG 13 | climate action
The scientific mission meets four of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the United Nations
Study the microorganisms of the arctic zones to reveal the effects of climate change and test the equipment designed to see if there is life on other planets. These are the two major research projects that a group of scientific explorers will carry out in the coming weeks in Greenland. An expedition, moreover, that will be zero emissions and that will meet four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Based on the ancestors
The Inuit are the original people who have always lived in the frigid lands of North America and Greenland. Accustomed to living and developing on the ice, the Spanish explorer Ramón Larramendi was inspired by them to create his Wind Sled, a transport system for the Arctic made up of several wooden platforms with crossbars and rails (following the model of the classic sledges Inuit) and sails of different sizes with which, taking advantage of the wind, it is able to move.
It is a unique system, since the rest of the missions, even scientific ones, usually use combustion vehicles, while this Wind Sled allows it to be with zero emissions. The vehicle also has solar panels to power the batteries of the scientific equipment. In addition, this system, specially designed for the scientific exploration of the polar lands, also has tents designed as living and working space.
Sunset from the sled. /
At the end of the month, a group of Spanish explorers will leave Barcelona for Greenland to start the SOS Arctic 2022 expedition, which will take them to travel thousands of kilometers in three to four weeks (depending on weather conditions) to collect information and carry out experiments on two specific topics: climate change and life on other planets.
«From the point of view of science, the most complicated thing about this expedition is that it goes as planned and there is no need to improvise much and, if it has to be done, find a suitable solution that does not disrupt anyone’s plans. », explains Lucía Hortal Sánchez, scientific leader of this expedition.
Given that other profiles of professionals participate in SOS Arctic 2022, this Spanish scientist also recognizes that another of the challenges of this project has been the fact that all the participants have had to seek funding to be able to carry out this expedition.
road work
During the weeks that these explorers tour the glacier, they will carry out the collection of different samples for use in various purposes.
One of the projects revolves around climate change. The other will collect a series of samples to help fine-tune a device that will later be used to detect life on other planets.
In this astrobiology project, Hortal will take ice samples several meters long to treat, melt and filter all the material right there, which will be sent to a laboratory in Madrid.
Parachute deployment. /
Already in Spanish territory, the material will be used to test a device called Solid (Signs Of Life Detector) capable of detecting specific particles in these samples. This device is designed to be able to work in space, but to test it, you have to look for similar environments, such as the polar ice caps.
Regarding the project on climate change, the objective is to obtain a map of the distribution of airborne microorganisms (that is, those that are distributed on the ground by the wind), in order to know where, based on this population of microorganisms. “In a context of climate change, such as ours, the objective derived from the main one is also to find out the new organisms that may be released by the effect of melting ice,” adds Hortal.
It should be noted that some of these microorganisms have been trapped in that ice for many thousands of years. When the ice melts, they are at the mercy of the wind to be moved. This scientist will carry some wind collectors (a hollow cylinder that distributes the wind that passes through it, in such a way that the organisms that the air can carry remain attached to the walls).
These tools will have to be carefully stored in a sterile bag for later delivery to a laboratory. Based on the samples collected at different rates and at different points of latitude, this map will be made, which will be the result of many other expeditions.
In line with the SDGs
In addition to being a zero emission expedition, part of the previous work has consisted of trying to meet the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN, achieving four of them.
One of them is Action for Climate, since this project is based on research and dissemination of the effect of climate change in polar environments. The objective of affordable and non-polluting energy is also met by promoting the use of sustainable and efficient energy sources throughout the development of the expedition and aiming to consolidate the efficiency of the windsled as a zero-emission polar vehicle.
In addition, this adventure meets the requirements set by the United Nations in SDG number 17: Alliance to achieve the objectives. Those responsible for the expedition assure that a network of information and knowledge will be generated among the collaborating organizations of the project to improve management and facilitate decision-making in the future.
Finally, there is the challenge of quality education, since after the expedition, educational talks will be held in the schools of Tres Cantos and other forums that claim it. In addition, a series of audiovisual content will be distributed by different informative platforms to raise awareness about the effects of climate change in polar environments and the consequences that this may have on our planet, and show the science that has been carried out throughout the expedition.
In this informative work, Lucía Hortas will be accompanied by another of the explorers, Juan Manuelm, who, in addition to being a journalist, is a science communicator. Of all the explorers, there are two women: Lucía and her partner Begoña. One of the two will be the first Spanish woman to crew this Wind Sled.
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