French research non-profit Tara Ocean Foundation has reported that Tara Polar Station, its new floating research station, recently completed its first drift test in the Arctic.
The drift lasted four weeks, during which the station's crew had encounters with polar bears and seals.
Tara Ocean said that the full-scale test series made it possible to assess the polar station's behaviour in ice; test scientific equipment (by opening the moon pool, deploying scientific instruments, etc); and to teach the crew how to live and work autonomously in such an extreme environment (areas covered include energy production, waste management, and safety procedures).
Among the next steps are ongoing tests from south of Shannon Island, East Greenland, then heading to Iceland for the Arctic Circle, a network for dialogue and international cooperation on the future of the Arctic.
A second test campaign for Tara Polar Station will be conducted at the end of the year in Finland, this time to assess the vessel in wintering conditions.