Mission

April 1, 2023
A groundbreaking--and ice-breaking--13-month exploration of the Arctic. From 2019 to 2020, the German research ship Polarstern used Norwegian scientist and explorer Fridtjof Nansen's 19th-century discovery of sea ice drift to travel from Norway to the Fram Strait off Greenland. Allowed to freeze in the ice, the ship drifted along with the floe before finally breaking north through the ice to the pole. International teams traded off every two or three months. The expedition, aptly named MOSAIC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate), produced countless discoveries about this largely unknown region. The author, an expedition member, offers her account in bits and pieces. She explains their rationale: The Arctic is "the epicenter of climate change," and what happens here affects the rest of the planet. She describes the overall plan and provides historical background, focusing particularly on Nansen's trip in 1893. Weiss-Tuider discusses their climate research: investigating the ice, the atmosphere, the ocean underneath the ice cap, and "biogeochemistry." All this is presented through a lengthy, smooth, liberally illustrated text, translated from German. The lively design includes maps, labeled drawings, logbook notes, photographs big and small, even sticky notes. An enormous amount of information is packed in, though the author doesn't share much about the personal impact of being part of such an important expedition. People depicted in illustrations are diverse. Readers curious about the ins and outs of scientific discovery will be intrigued. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-14)

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Starred review from May 1, 2023

Gr 3-7-Could you spend a year in the frigid darkness drifting with ice floes in the Arctic? Join the MOSAiC expedition team aboard the Polarstern to examine ice caps vital to our ecosystem before they disappear. Multidisciplinary scientists from over 20 countries and 37 nationalities studied climate change from the least explored area on Earth, the North Pole. Weiss-Tuider was an expedition member who breaks down the content into three parts: Arctic expedition, climate research, and humanity's future. The Polarstern affords bountiful stargazing, wonderful meals, water basketball, and a sauna; but it is more difficult to communicate with home than it is for astronauts on the International Space Station. The text resembles a logbook or corkboard packed with stunning mixed-media images and bold, colorful graphics explaining scientific concepts and what a typical day looks like, along with the route of the planned drift alongside historical photos and diagrams that compare and contrast prior Arctic experiences. The text is clear and the use of concise vocabulary makes complex concepts accessible. A quiz is included to check how smart our environmental choices are, and Weiss-Tuider discusses the role young people play in making wise decisions and activism. VERDICT Action-packed text is broken down into portions ideal for striving readers who care about protecting our environment and are fascinated by the enormous research gathered, and scientific strides accomplished on the Polarstern. Recommended for nonfiction collections.-Laura Dooley-Taylor

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