Scientists Train for Polar Ice Diving to Research Warming Planet
The frigid waters of a Finnish lake recently revealed a remarkable sight as diver Daan Jacobs emerged from a hole carved into its thick, crackling ice, offering a rare glimpse into an underwater world few ever witness. Jacobs, a biodiversity adviser from the Netherlands, had descended 8 metres (26 feet) below the surface, where sunlight pierced the Arctic ice, illuminating fish swimming around rock formations in a remote environment. This occurred during winter when temperatures can plummet to minus 40 degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit.
He was participating in the Polar Scientific Diving class in northern Finland, a programme run by the Finnish Scientific Diving Academy. This initiative aims to equip the next generation of scientists and researchers with the skills to explore beneath Arctic and Antarctic ice, studying unique flora and fauna. After his 45-minute immersion, Jacobs succinctly described the experience: "The view is beautiful."
The Urgent Need for Polar Research
The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, with impacts ranging from disrupted worldwide weather patterns to threats against polar bear populations, which rely on sea ice for hunting. In Antarctica, global warming is causing ice sheets to melt, leading to sea level rise and disrupting ocean ecosystems. Scientists urgently need to study what lies beneath the remaining Arctic and Antarctic ice to understand how climate change affects plants and animals that survive along the seafloor with minimal sunlight.
However, such research requires specialised scuba diving skills combined with scientific expertise—qualifications that experts estimate only a few hundred people worldwide currently possess. The Finnish Scientific Diving Academy’s class not only trains more divers but also advocates for increased research into the polar ice crisis.
Erik Wurz, a marine biologist and one of the class's scientific diving instructors, emphasised the urgency: "Because it is melting so fast, we need to have more people deployed there—more science to be done—to understand better what happens. We have to do more and we need to be fast to save this unique ecosystem in the Arctic, but also the Antarctic."
The Role of Human Divers in Research
In an era increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence and robots, human divers remain essential for polar research. Simon Morley, a marine biologist at the British Antarctic Survey, explained that dragging nets across the seafloor would destroy habitats, and remotely operated submersibles typically collect only one specimen at a time. "A diver can go down and pick up 12 urchins, put them in a bag and not affect the rest of the system," said Morley, who is not part of the course.
Challenging Training Conditions
During each 10-day session, instructors drill a dozen experienced divers on a frozen lake at the University of Helsinki's Kilpisjärvi Biological Station. The programme, which began in 2024, has seen such demand that a second session per year has been added. Participants include marine and freshwater biologists, other scientists, highly skilled recreational divers, and documentary filmmakers.
Ruari Buijs, a marine biology and oceanography student at the University of Plymouth in England, aims to work in Antarctica researching marine megafauna. He enrolled in the polar diving class to enhance his employability upon graduation. "I thought this would be a very good stepping stone toward that goal," he said.
Meanwhile, Caroline Chen, a scientific diver and research assistant in Germany, described diving in polar regions as her dream. She believes the course will help her design future experiments in such challenging conditions.
Overcoming Extreme Elements
Students must learn more than just diving under ice nearly a meter thick into water temperatures just above freezing. They face frigid air temperatures and whipping winds over Lake Kilpisjärvi, challenging the topside support team who operate safety equipment while fending off frostbite risks. Trainees also learn to act as safety divers in emergencies, such as if a primary diver cannot find the ice hole to surface after 45 minutes below.
Once underwater, divers report an incredible experience. During a recent session, the group dived beneath ice roughly 80 centimeters thick. Chen spotted fish along the sea floor and observed sunlight streaming through the ice, reminiscent of the Northern Lights. "It looks insane from the bottom up," Chen said. "It changes all the time, like the Northern Lights."
Buijs noted that while covered body parts remain unaffected by the cold, the area around the mouth stays exposed. "I think the worst thing is like your lips feel very numb afterward and they like stick out a lot," he said, laughing. "You kind of get Botox lips a little bit."
