Scientists are diving deep into Arctic waters to discover secrets of the deep

The frigid waters of a Finnish lake recently offered a rare glimpse into a world few will ever witness, as diver Daan Jacobs emerged from a hole carved into thick, crackling ice. His 8-metre descent revealed a breathtaking underwater landscape, where sunlight filtered through Arctic ice and fish navigated ancient rock formations – a remote sanctuary, especially in winter when temperatures plummet to minus 40 degrees Celsius.

Jacobs, a biodiversity adviser from the Netherlands, is among a select group of underwater explorers participating in the Polar Scientific Diving class. Organised by the Finnish Scientific Diving Academy, this programme aims to cultivate a new generation of scientists and researchers equipped to explore the flora and fauna beneath the Arctic and Antarctic ice. "The view is beautiful," Jacobs remarked, gulping for air after his 45-minute dive.

This specialised training is more critical than ever. The Arctic is experiencing warming at a rate four times faster than the rest of the planet, a phenomenon with devastating global implications, from altering worldwide weather patterns to diminishing polar bear populations reliant on sea ice for hunting. Similarly, Antarctica faces melting ice sheets, contributing to rising sea levels and disrupting delicate ocean ecosystems.

Scientists urgently need to study these rapidly changing environments to understand how climate change is impacting the unique plant and animal life thriving with minimal sunlight beneath the ice. However, this vital research demands highly specialised scuba diving skills combined with a robust scientific background – qualifications currently held by only a few hundred individuals globally. The Finnish Scientific Diving Academy seeks not only to train more divers but also to underscore the urgent need for increased research into the polar ice crisis.

Pata Degerman via AP

"Because it is melting so fast, we need to have more people deployed there — more science to be done — to understand better what happens," explained Erik Wurz, a marine biologist and one of the class's scientific diving instructors. "We have to do more and we need to be fast to save this unique ecosystem in the Arctic, but also the Antarctic."

Crucially, this work cannot be entirely outsourced to technology. Simon Morley, a marine biologist with the British Antarctic Survey, highlights the indispensable role of human divers. While AI and robots offer advancements, a remotely operated submersible or robot can typically retrieve only one specimen at a time, and dragging nets across the seafloor would cause irreparable habitat damage. "A diver can go down and pick up 12 urchins, put them in a bag and not affect the rest of the system," Morley noted.

The academy's intensive 10-day sessions, held on a frozen lake at the University of Helsinki's Kilpisjärvi Biological Station, put a dozen experienced divers through their paces. Launched in 2024, the programme's high demand has already necessitated a second annual session. Participants range from marine and freshwater biologists to highly skilled recreational divers and documentary filmmakers.

For Ruari Buijs, a marine biology and oceanography student at the University of Plymouth, the course is a strategic step towards his goal of researching marine megafauna in Antarctica. "I thought this would be a very good stepping stone toward that goal," he said. Caroline Chen, a scientific diver and research assistant from Germany, views the experience as crucial for designing future experiments in such challenging conditions, fulfilling her dream of diving in polar regions.

The training extends beyond merely navigating ice nearly a metre thick and water just above freezing. Divers must contend with brutal air temperatures and whipping winds above Lake Kilpisjärvi. The topside support team faces its own challenges, operating equipment to ensure diver safety while battling the risk of frostbite and training as safety divers for emergencies.

AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov

Yet, once submerged, the experience is often described as incredible. During a recent session, divers explored beneath 80-centimetre-thick ice. Chen recalled spotting fish before gazing upwards as sunlight pierced the ice, creating a spectacle reminiscent of the Northern Lights. "It looks insane from the bottom up," she enthused. "It changes all the time, like the Northern Lights."

While the cold doesn't affect covered body parts, the area around the mouth remains exposed. Buijs humorously described the aftermath: "I think the worst thing is like your lips feel very numb afterward and they like stick out a lot. You kind of get Botox lips a little bit." This unique blend of scientific rigour, physical endurance, and breathtaking natural beauty underscores the vital, human-led effort to understand and protect our planet's most vulnerable ecosystems.