Ice, cold waters, and research at the frontline of climate change.

In this episode of Expedition Skagerak, PhD student Wilma Ljungberg takes us on board the University of Gothenburg’s high-tech research vessel R/V Skagerak as she prepares for a month-long expedition to Svalbard.

From instrument testing and long shifts at sea to teamwork, seasickness, and scientific detective work in Arctic fjords shaped by rapidly melting glaciers — this is the reality of polar research at sea.

As researchers prepare to trace meltwater, carbon, and chemical signals through the Arctic Ocean, one central question remains: how do you prepare for the unexpected?

The mystery of Bratten’s cold-water corals sets the stage as marine biologist Rhian Waller takes us deep into this remote, protected marine area in the Skagerrak. Aboard R/V Skagerak, she and her team study coral communities thriving hundreds of metres below the surface. Rhian reveals what it’s like to conduct science in these extreme environments: the methods they rely on, the technology they test, and the key questions that keep science in motion. During one of the deep-sea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, something unexpected happens — something with fins. A curious fish makes a move that brings the entire operation to an abrupt halt…