Arctic survey team to start epic 1,200km trek (From Bucks Free Press)

Catlin Arctic Survey Ice Team poised to start epic 1,200km North Pole trek

3:30pm Saturday 28th February 2009 in News By Thais Portilho-Shrimpton

Three explorers heading for the North Pole to measure the thickness of the remaining Arctic sea ice are due to start their expedition today.

The team of Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley will head out to the drop off point in a Twin Otter light aircraft. Minor problems with their equipment have delayed their departure, originally scheduled for yesterday, by 24 hours.

• Arctic Survey coverage in full
• Arctic Survey in pictures

They will still be watching for weather changes and there will be further careful weather checks for the entire route before they load up for their flight.

The Ice Team needs daylight in order to land at the mid-way refuelling point, during the six-hour flight out onto the ice.

If weather conditions deteriorate, the plane could turn back at any moment.

The three-month Catlin Arctic Survey expedition will see the team trek more than 1,200km, measuring the floating sea ice to help scientists determine how long it will survive.

Their radar system, pulled in a sleigh, will take millions of measurements over the course of the expedition and is able to accurately differentiate between ice and snow - which was previously impossible.

Data collected will be analysed by Professor Wieslaw Maslowski at the department of oceanography, in Monterey, California, and the findings will be given to key world decision makers at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in November.

• The team is being co-sponsored by Green Guardian.