Expedition goal: The goal for this expedition is to better understand the dynamics of submarine permafrost formation and decomposition on the seafloor in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, located in a remote region of the Arctic. On previous expeditions, we discovered that the complex morphology of the seafloor in this region of the Arctic tells a story that involves both the melting of ancient permafrost that was submerged beneath the sea long ago and the disfiguration of the modern seafloor that occurs when released water refreezes. During this expedition, we will map and sample more widely in the area to determine how extensive this ongoing deformation is and whether this permafrost ice contains greenhouse gases.

Expedition dates: August 20 – September 19, 2025

Ship: We will participate in a 30-day leg aboard the Korean ice-breaking research vessel (IBRV) Araon of the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI). The IBRV Araon is 110 meters (360 feet) long and 7,507 tons. The ship will have 82 people on board, with a science party of 46. This will include 16 people from MBARI, three from the Geological Survey of Canada, two from the US Naval Research Laboratory, and 25 participants from South Korea.

Research technology: MiniROV, mapping AUV, controlled source electromagnetic survey system

Long-standing collaboration: This expedition is part of a collaboration between KOPRI, the Geological Survey of Canada, and MBARI that started in 2012. The US Naval Research Laboratory joined our collaboration in 2022.

Map showing the path MBARI equipment and personnel will travel while participating in an expedition on the Korean ice-breaking research vessel (IBRV) Araon this summer and fall. This path starts and ends with the three shipping containers’ passage across the Pacific. The science party will board in Utqiagvik, Alaska, and go east into Canadian waters within the Beaufort Sea. At the end of the cruise, they will transit south across the Bering Sea to disembark in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, 30 days later. Eve Lundsten © 2025 MBARI

More About the research technology

The MBARI team is sending three cutting-edge technologies on this expedition, which are uniquely suited for studying submarine permafrost.

1) Two autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) will collect high-resolution seafloor maps. Comparing these maps with previous ones is critical for identifying new craters on the seafloor.

MBARI’s autonomous seafloor mapping robots can visualize the bathymetry of the seafloor down to a resolution of a one-meter square (11-square feet) grid, or roughly the size of a small dinner table. Image: Dave Caress © MBARI

2) MBARI’s MiniROV is small enough to be shipped to Korea and loaded with the latest advancements in high-resolution visualization technology. The MiniROV will enable visual observations of the seafloor and allow sediment and ice to be sampled. It is equipped with seven new optical and acoustic imaging systems capable of making quantitative measurements of the seafloor at the centimeter scale. We will be using these surveys to help determine the rates of subsea deformation associated with the freezing and thawing of near-seafloor ice.

The MiniROV is a portable remotely operated vehicle developed by MBARI engineers that can be configured for a variety of science missions. Equipped with cameras and sampling equipment, it has been integral to studying the Arctic seafloor. Image: Charlie Paull © MBARI

3) A controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) survey system provides information on the electrical properties of the near-seafloor sediments.

The CSEM system works to reveal ice and brackish water buried in submarine sediments. A weak dipole transmitter is towed behind the ship, creating an electromagnetic field. Receivers, towed further behind, capture the responding electromagnetic field, which is altered by the resistivity of the subsurface sediments, which is highly sensitive to subsurface ice and salinity.

The extensive equipment required for this expedition filled three shipping containers sent from Moss Landing to Korea in May this year. The contents were loaded onto the IBRV Araon, which then made its way to Utqiagvik, Alaska. Upon arrival on the IBRV Araon, MBARI researchers will have about two days to reassemble these technologically complex systems before beginning work in the Beaufort Sea.