The Executive Committee of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is delighted to present Prof. Dr. Markus Rex, Dr. Matthew Shupe and Prof. Dr. Klaus Dethloff with its Award for Service for outstanding achievements in planning and executing the unique international Arctic Ocean program Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) which is fundamental for our understanding of the Arctic and which will serve the international community with new data that was not previously possible to access.
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Involving several hundred researchers from 20 nations, MOSAiC was the largest and most ambitious Arctic expedition ever undertaken. The mission and success of MOSAiC would not have been possible without the vision, leadership, and decade-long committed work of these three individuals. MOSAiC’s goal was to undertake the first full annual cycle of in-situ observations of properties, processes, and interactions between coupled aspects of the Arctic system. The expedition was centered on the comprehensively equipped Polarstern research icebreaker as the primary measurement platform, which drifted 3,400 km between September 2019 and October 2020. This expedition allowed an unprecedented comprehensive dataset to be obtained, providing the first observational constraint on many aspects of the coupled Arctic system, particularly during winter. These data will allow the international science community to address real grand challenges in our ability to predict and respond to the threat of climate change, both in the Arctic and more widely. As of October 2023, more than 90 scientific papers have been published as a result of the expedition and more are in the pipeline. The successful execution and completion of MOSAiC has produced an immense force for Arctic science globally. The expected legacy of the expedition will continue to grow over time.
The achievements of the three awardees in ensuring the realization and success of the MOSAiC programme, developed under the umbrella of IASC, are unparalleled in their contributions to Arctic science, international cooperation, and community leadership.
The three awardees will deliver their IASC Award Lecture with the title “The MOSAiC transpolar drift in the Arctic climate puzzle” at the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2024 in Edinburgh (Scotland, UK) and online on 26 March 2024 as part of the ASSW 2024 Science Day from 10:00 - 10:30 GMT / UK time.
Photo, left: Prof. Dr. Markus Rex (photo courtesy, Prof. Dr. Markus Rex )
Photo, middle: Dr. Matthew Shupe (photo courtesy, Dr. Matthew Shupe)
Photo, right: Dr. Klaus Dethloff (photo courtesy, Dr. Klaus Dethloff )