Pole Track - Tracking the motion of the ice cap

In 2005 an international team of three polar explorers set out on a journey to the north pole in order to map the motion of the polar ice cap. Reaching the pole on foot is a challenge in itself, as the ice cover has been decreasing in recent years. But Marc Cornelissen, Doug Stoup, and Petter Nyquist were carrying an extra load to make it even more ambitious. Under the name Pole Track, they were planning to deploy three satellite beacons on the Arctic Ocean. The beacons would send out data about their position, temperature, and other variables as they travelled with the ever-moving ice sheet that covers the North Pole. These data can help scientists gain more insight in the dynamics of the polar ice cover and how it is being affected by changes in the global climate.

Unfortunately, for reasons beyond their control, the expedition team was unable to reach the North Pole. However, they managed to deploy one of the three satellite beacons. Two more were deployed by helicopter on the Arctic Ocean near Greenland several months later.

For the Pole Track project I fulfilled several roles. During the initial stages I developed communication concepts and technical solutions that would allow the expedition team to tell their story in near real-time from the arctic ice. Later, I designed the bi-lingual website and coordinated its implementation into a content management system. Finally, during the expedition itself I acted as a virtual base camp, maintaining contact with the team on the ice, creating content and updates for the websites, and managing press relations for the project.