A massive ice ridge near the North Pole dwarfs the distant German research icebreaker Polarstern.

Incoming Polarstern crewmembers secure containers of critical freight to the bow of the Russian Icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn on their way to exchange expedition personnel and deliver supplies to the Polarstern near the North Pole.

Atmospheric scientists adjust a sensor that measures near-surface turbulence over the ice. Data on turbulence-related energy fluxes is crucial to explaining their amplification in the Arctic and its impact on global warming.

Sea-ice physicists lower a remote-controlled dive robot into the Arctic Ocean from the scientific base camp on the ice floe near the Polarstern. The robot will collect water samples and take images of the virtually unknown world below the Arctic ice.

A substantial lead (large fracture) has opened in the Arctic iceshield near the North Pole, revealing the surface of the 4,000-meter deep Arctic Ocean. Leads naturally occur in the shifting Arctic ice, but their numbers have noticeably increased due to global warming.

The German research icebreaker Polarstern drifts with the Arctic ice in March 2020, just as the rest of the world faced the first pandemic lockdown. Near the North Pole, the vessel was 1,000 kilometers away from any other point of civilization—even further than the International Space Station.

A Sea-ice physicist inspects an ice-coring drill head in the equipment storage room on board the Polarstern. Ice cores collected on the MOSAiC expedition will contain valuable data about climate-active trace gases and their movements within the Arctic ice and between the ice, ocean and atmosphere.

Sea-ice researchers and oceanographers install equipment to measure the Albedo Effect, which is the amount of sunlight reflected by the Arctic ice back into space. The white ice sheet reflects up to 85 percent of sunlight, thus preventing global warming.

Scientists from the Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem teams at work in their laboratory on board the Polarstern. Their instruments measure the levels of oxygen, methane, and other gases that affect the Arctic climate.

Professional scouts ensure the best possible safety for all expedition members on the ice at all times. They explore the surroundings of the research camp and establish the safest routes through the dangerous, constantly changing sea ice. With their years of experience, they are also able to spot polar bears early and thus protect all involved individuals.

Atmospheric scientists prepare to launch an atmospheric balloon nicknamed Miss Piggy – a critical operation when wind speeds at ground level may not exceed 20 km/h. The balloon samples aerosols and detects tropospheric ozone in the atmosphere.

Ice ridges in an Arctic snow storm near the German research icebreaker Polarstern during the year-long MOSAiC expedition to the Arctic.

Work on deck is challenging due to extreme cold, 24-hour darkness and unpredictable Arctic storms. The crew must regularly clear passageways of ice and check that the supply containers are securely lashed to the deck.

While it sounds rough, pile driving in the pack ice is actually a delicate choreography performed by all personnel on the bridge. Once Chief Mate Igor Pridannikov (left) makes the strategic decisions about direction, pile driving angle and speed, Third Mate Andrei Sidelnikov (center) and Second Engineer Maxim Gora (right) carry out the orders with the rest of the crew.

At the helm of the Russian Icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn en route towards the North Pole stands Captain Alexandr Erpulev. After weeks of heavy icebreaking, the ship had navigated to the northernmost position ever achieved during winter but had yet not reached its final destination, the German research vessel Polarstern. This portrait, taken in February 2020, captures Erpulev in full concentration on completing his nautical masterstroke.

Again and again Second Mate Aleksandr Zhukovskii has to correct the icebreaker's course by following the instructions of Ice Consultant Evgeniy Makarov (in the background). When the press ice ridges become too thick, the Ice Consultant must search elsewhere for passable channels through the ice.

In the control center, Chief Engineer Tagir Sharafutdinov synchronizes the complex interaction of six diesel engines, the three propellers and their associated generators.