First Summer Expedition to the North Pole
Pulling for the Planet - 2006

One World Expedition teams up with Greenpeace

GRAND MARAIS, MINNESOTA, April 6--The One World Expedition, the first-ever summer crossing of the Arctic Ocean, which is being undertaken to bring attention to global warming, has teamed with Greenpeace as its environmental and communications partner to bring the global warming message to a worldwide audience.

Expedition leader Lonnie Dupre and teammate Eric Larsen leave May 12 from Cape Arctichesky, Siberia, on a 100-day unsupported journey across the geographic North Pole to Ellesmere Island, Canada. No one has attempted a summer crossing of the Arctic Ocean due to the dangerous nature of the crossing because of extreme fog, hypothermic temperatures and humidity lending themselves to hypothermia, and unstable ice conditions. Dupre and Larsen will pull and paddle specially-modified canoes over 1,240 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean.

"We The expedition approached Greenpeace to ensure that our their global warming message reaches millions of people worldwide ," Dupre said .   "Global warming affects the entire planet but has particular impact on the Earth's delicate p olar regions. The amount of ice covering the Arctic Ocean has diminished by 10 percent over the last 40 years ."   

As Dupre and Larsen cross the ice, Greenpeace's ship the Arctic Sunrise will travel along Greenland's coastline in July and August, documenting the impacts of global warming, visiting scientific research stations, and hosting global warming scientists on board. The ship will meet the explorers at the end of their expedition at Ellesmere Island, Canada, and will also serve as backup for possible search and rescue operations.

Dupre and Larsen hope to raise awareness of the growing threat of global warming, which affects the entire planet but has particular impact on the Earth's delicate Polar regions. The amount of ice covering the Arctic Ocean has diminished by 10 percent over the last 40 years.

"Global warming is happening now, not in some distant future, and 2005 will be a critical year for enforcing solutions," said Melanie Duchin, Greenpeace climate campaigner. "We hope that every mile these explorers travel will empower people around the world to take action and pressure the United States into adopting vigorous practices to combat this crisis."

Dupre and Larsen will collect snow samples at 50-mile intervals throughout their journey and test the quantity and quality of meltwater pools on the surface of the ice. Meltwater, which is difficult to study via satellite imagery because of fog, absorbs heat and increases the rate at which ice melts. Snow samples will be delivered to Dr. Paul Mayewski of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, who will analyze them for levels of 50 different pollutants. Meltwater data will be studied by Dr. Don Perovich, a research geophysicist with the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.

The One World Expedition journey is associated with Greenpeace's Project Thin Ice, an international campaign to expose the ramifications of global warming and engage communities to pressure the United States into adopting solutions. The partnership will allow the One World Expedition to leverage Greenpeace's extensive communications network and expertise to reach a wider, global audience.

Since 1971 Greenpeace has been a leading voice of the environmental movement. They work throughout the world to protect oceans and ancient forests, and to fight toxic pollution, genetic engineering, global warming and nuclear threats.

Photos are available at http://usaphoto.greenpeace.org//project_thin_ice_images

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