A floating laboratory has begun drifting through Arctic sea ice on a mission set to last until late 2027, carrying scientists into one of the most isolated places on Earth. Built in France, the Tara Polar Station is carrying a crew of 12 to study biodiversity and the effects of climate change, as well as a dog to alert them to polar bears – and no one knows exactly where the ice will take them.
Named Tara Polaris I, the mission will carry the igloo-shaped station through the central Arctic Ocean, where it is now drifting with the sea ice.
