Cascades Expedition
CASCADES is a collaborative polar expedition uniting scientists from Canada, France, Greenland, and Switzerland to confront a critical climate challenge: the accelerating melt of Greenland’s glaciers and its far-reaching impacts on the Atlantic Ocean and climate systems worldwide.
The CASCADES Expedition is coordinated by the Institut Nordique du Québec, the Swiss Polar Institute, and the French Polar Institute, in collaboration with Greenlandic institutions and the Transforming Climate Action program for the Canada First Excellence Research Fund. It is a rare opportunity for comprehensive and interdisciplinary work for the Swiss, Canadian, French, and Greenlandic research communities. It benefits from the infrastructure provided by Amundsen Science, which manages the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen.
→ Download the expedition factsheet
The CASCADES Expedition is an endorsed action of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and contributes to the United Nations Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences.
Critical Region
The Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the global average. It harbours four critical climate tipping points: the accelerated melt of the Greenland Ice Sheet, the thawing of boreal permafrost, the collapse of winter Arctic sea ice, and the weakening of the Labrador-Irminger Seas convector.
Critical Timing
The CASCADES Expedition will take place in two legs, aligned with two key Arctic phases: the melt and the freeze-up of sea ice. Studying these dynamics will bring a better understanding of ongoing climate shifts in the Arctic that affect the entire world.
Critical Science
The CASCADES Expedition will explore how melting glaciers, sea ice, and ocean ecosystems interact and shape the environment and communities in the Arctic. This research is essential to better understand and anticipate both global and local climate challenges.