STORY:
Millennium Expedition Retraces Steps of Explorer

Group following the footsteps of Otto Sverdrup in Canadian Arctic

By Elizabeth Scott

Everything2000—The Canadian arctic is not the first place one might travel to celebrate the millennium, but one brave group of Norwegians and Canadians is facing the cold, wind and chill to celebrate the year 2000. This year long journey celebrates the recognition and exploration of Northern Canada 100 years ago by Norway’s Otto Sverdrup.

In June of this year, an expedition vessel christened the Northanger left Norway for a journey called Sverdrup 2000. The crew and exploration team will spend the next year, until summer of the year 2000, reliving the adventure of Sverdrup and his crew.

Traveling towards the Canadian arctic, the vessel will eventually reach its winter harbor off the coast of Ellesmere Island. Throughout this adventure, students and scientists can follow the explorers and even keep in contact with them via the Internet.

On December 31, 1999 the group will celebrate the new millennium in the arctic chill. This date coincides with publication of a centennial edition of Otto Sverdrup’s paper titled “The Friendly One”. As spring approaches, the group will travel north by sled, retracing the steps of the famous explorer. By late summer of 2000, the group will follow Sverdrup’s final steps to Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, the Inuit territory.

Sponsors of this millennium trek hope it will also bring attention to the arctic ecosystem. They believe the arctic deserves particular attention because of the large remaining wilderness areas, the vulnerability of the ecosystem to climate change, the use of climate model to predict global warming. Also there are groups of native peoples who have a continued dependence of the ecosystem around them.

Another area of study during this expedition, beyond environment, is the psychology of the team member. Psychologists from Canada and the United States questioned the group about the challenges they face. The cold and dark of the arctic winter can create a sense of isolation and deprivation. Although this group is being monitored for its psychological response, the fact that a number of the scientists and explorers are married couples could alleviate the sense of loneliness.

DATE: 07/20/99

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