British polar explorer Pen Hadow on Thursday unveiled his latest challenge, leading a team of scientists to investigate rising acid levels in the Arctic Ocean that threaten marine life.
Hadow and leading international researchers will probe the effects of rising carbon dioxide emissions on the acid levels of the ocean when their arctic adventure gets under way next month.
The two-month Catlin Arctic Survey 2010 will included a trek hundreds of miles long across floating sea ice in extreme conditions, facing freezing temperatures and polar bears.
Results from the expedition will be made available to scientists in Europe, Canada and the US.
Believed to be one of the first expeditions of its kind, it will collect samples to shed light on rising acidity that experts warn threaten an array of species with shells which include lobsters, crabs and oysters.
“It’s my view that never has there been a greater need for exploration if we are to understand how the natural world works,” said Hadow, who came to public attention when in 2003 he became the first person to trek solo from Canada to the Geographic North Pole.
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China Daily, 25 February 2010. Full article.
