The 2027 Antarctic Expedition will focus on the rapidly changing boundary between ice, ocean and life along the western Antarctic Peninsula and in the Bellingshausen Sea.

Under the theme “Life at the Melting Edge,” the expedition aims to improve our understanding of how retreating glaciers, changing sea-ice conditions and warming ocean waters influence marine ecosystems, carbon cycling and global sea-level processes.

Applications are particularly encouraged in the following areas:

• Interactions between glaciers, ice shelves and the surrounding ocean

• Changes in sea-ice formation, thickness and seasonal distribution

• Antarctic biodiversity, food-web dynamics and ecosystem resilience

• Distribution of krill, plankton, seabirds and marine mammals

• Ocean circulation, heat transport and carbon uptake

• Seafloor habitats and previously ice-covered marine environments

• Environmental DNA and other innovative biodiversity-monitoring methods

• Microplastics, pollutants and human impacts in remote polar environments

• Development and testing of autonomous or remotely operated observing technologies

Interdisciplinary proposals combining physical, biological, chemical and geological research are strongly encouraged. Projects may request access to ship-based laboratories, water-column sampling, sediment coring, acoustic surveys, autonomous vehicles, remotely operated systems and the deployment or recovery of scientific instruments.

The planned expedition will take place during the austral summer of 2027 and will offer approximately 35 days of research time at sea. Final cruise tracks and station plans will be developed collaboratively based on the selected projects, operational feasibility, environmental conditions and permitting requirements.

Early-career researchers and international research partnerships are especially encouraged to apply. Proposals should clearly describe the scientific objectives, required ship time, preferred study area, equipment needs, expected outputs and potential contribution to long-term Antarctic observation.