| Summary: | The 2013 research cruise in the Arctic Ocean aboard icebreaker Akademik Fedorov was the 9th annual expedition under the aegis of NABOS (=Nansen Amundsen Basin Observations System) conducted by International Arctic Research Center (IARC) University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA in partnership with Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) St. Petersburg Russia. The main goal of the NABOS project is to provide quantitative assessment of circulation and water mass transformation along the principal pathways transporting water from the Nordic Seas to the Arctic Basin. Specific feature of this cruise was that it took place under conditions of substantially reduced summer ice cover over the major part of the Arctic Ocean. Reduced sea ice causes changes in the water column and in the overlying atmosphere. Documenting of these changes was the main target of the NABOS 2013 cruise. The scope of this goal and the opportunities of extended scientific research in the Arctic, provided during NABOS expeditions, encouraged scientific institutions from the US, Europe and Asia to raise funds, contribute to the cruise program and to send their personnel to the expedition, thus giving it a true multidisciplinary status. The information collected during the cruise is unique and very valid for understanding of the Arctic climate change. Important outreach component of the cruise was the Summer School, which provided an excellent opportunity for graduate students, PhD students and early career scientists from US, Europe, and Russia to learn about climate change in the Arctic and to participate in field experiments onboard.
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