Brazil continues its first research expedition to the North Pole | Sciences

Brazil’s first official scientific expedition to the Arctic, which will last until July 21, aims to learn about biodiversity in one of the coldest regions on the planet, understand its importance in terms of ecology and global climate change, and contribute to environmental conservation.

The team is in the Svalbard archipelago, which is part of the Arctic Circle belonging to Norway: two professors from the Institute of Biological Sciences (IB) at the University of Brasília (UnB), Paulo Camara (photo), one of the expedition coordinators, and researcher Micheline Carvalho Silva (photo). Added to the group are professors from the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Minas (UFMG) Luis Henrique Rosa, also coordinator, and Vivian Nicolau, as well as Marcelo Ramada, professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Brasília. The expedition, led by Unb in partnership with UFMG, is part of the Brazilian Antarctic Program (Proantar) and funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the respective institutions.

Brazil has 7% of its territory in the Northern Hemisphere, explains Professor Paulo Camara, underlining the need for research in the region. “Which means that 7% of Brazil’s area is closer to the North Pole than Antarctica. We have had a presence in the Antarctic for more than 40 years, we don’t have a presence in the North Pole. They are two major regulators of the climate. Brazil has always been involved in Antarctica, in the Amazon, we haven’t been involved in the Arctic,” said the professor, in a live interview from the North Pole to Agência Brasil.

During the mission, researchers will collect plants, fungi, microorganisms, sediment and other biological samples to generate data on the area, which will make it possible to compare and understand the relationship between species that occur in the two poles – the Arctic and Antarctic – without being present in intermediate regions of the planet. Among them, one of the specialties of researcher Paulo Camara: algae, which are small plant species that spread easily in polar environments.

The Arctic is valued for a large amount of still unexplored resources, such as oil and natural gas, and is considered strategic for investigating climatic, environmental and economic impacts worldwide. But the Far North has been suffering, in the past four decades, from the accelerated melting of its glaciers.

For the second time in the area, the professor said he found the place very different than in 2016. “I was also in business, but not part of an expedition, it was an individual initiative. What surprised me was how it had changed in a short time, here it is much warmer, drier, much less snow and snow. A, there was a lot of ice and snow, it rained a lot, it was always cloudy, and now it’s very different, much warmer and drier,” Kamara assesses.

Perhaps the change is due to climate change. “It’s hard to make any statement, but that’s probably what it is, the thaw in the Arctic is an irreversible phenomenon, related to this heat wave in Europe, which is mirroring here. This has a huge impact on biodiversity because of the extremely high temperature that’s going on here, plus the lack of water. When we were there the last time it rained almost every day, it was always cloudy, and now it feels like we’re in the desert!” he explained.

According to the specialist, research in the area may be appropriate to monitor the possible outcomes of this operation in Brazil and in the world. “What happens here in the Arctic affects Brazil, so we should have the right to speak and vote, which is not happening.”

Brazil is the only country among the top ten world economies without making a decision on issues related to the region. Therefore, a scientific presence in the Arctic, an area covering more than 16 million square kilometers (sq km) could be important for the country’s inclusion as an observer member of the Arctic Council, an international cooperation organization to deal with environmental protection strategies in the territory. The country must also abide by the Svalbard Treaty, which not only recognizes Norway’s sovereignty over the archipelago, but also guarantees the use of resources in the region by the signatory states.

“Another important fact is that the melting of the ice in the Arctic, which is irreversible, will open new trade routes and reduce the importance of the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal, which will affect global geopolitics, and Brazil, as a power, must be present,” the professor stressed.