Float Your Boat - Norway. School students, small wooden boats and marine research in the Arctic

This communication project aims to increase our understanding of climate processes, the Arctic and the importance of research through the active involvement of primary to junior high school students. The project is based on NERSC's ongoing activity in the Arctic Sea, collaborating with several projects and utilizing a concept introduced by the US Coast Guard. Students of four primary schools in western Norway produced a total of 230 small wooden boats.  Together with a comparable number of boats produced by US students they were subsequently launched on the ice in the Arctic Ocean by the coast guard ship KV Svalbard in August and November 2020 as part of scientific cruises. Scientific buoys were also launched, transmitting their position and surface temperature. Through a dedicated web-site students and teachers could follow the drift in near real time. Boats are uniquely branded with a web address, so they may be reported if found after drifting ashore.

The project website serves both as a communication hub between scientists and students and teachers and to reach out to a wider audience. Several films were produced in this regard. Webinars were held by NERSC scientists on climate and ocean science topics and crew members from K/V Svalbard on work and life onboard a coast guard vessel. Feedback from the teachers will also be presented.