The ICEBERG Project 

ICEBERG (Impact of Climate and Environmental pollution in the Arctic) is an EU-funded research and action project aimed at better understanding the effects of pollution and climate change on the marine and coastal environment in the European Arctic. The project runs from 2024 to 2026 and is funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101135130.

The project brings together natural sciences, technology, social sciences, Indigenous perspectives, and policy research to develop solutions for a healthier environment and stronger Arctic communities.

AECO’s Role

AECO is supporting the ICEBERG project by facilitating dialogue between the project team and Arctic expedition cruise operators. Specifically, AECO encourages members operating in Svalbard, Greenland, and Iceland to voluntarily contribute to the research by allowing scientists to collect water samples from ships.

Sampling involves collecting small amounts (approx. 2L) of gray water or scrubber water (if applicable) during port calls. All logistics and handling are managed by the project team.

This work helps ensure that science-based insights inform future environmental regulations relevant to Arctic shipping and wastewater management, an area of growing interest among Arctic communities and regulators.

What Is Being Studied?

ICEBERG’s incubation experiments aim to understand how pollutants influence marine microorganisms and biogeochemical processes in the Arctic Ocean. Samples are tested for:

• Nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, silicate)
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Heavy metals (e.g., vanadium, iron, manganese)
• Biomass of phytoplankton and bacteria
• Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM)
• Biogenic trace gases such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and isoprene

This research may provide key knowledge about how ship-based discharges interact with marine microbial communities and broader atmospheric processes.

How to Participate

The ICEBERG team is looking to collect samples from ships between July and October 2025 in Longyearbyen (Svalbard), Akureyri (Iceland), and selected ports in Greenland.

Participation is voluntary and anonymous. Interested operators can contact the research team directly to arrange sampling:

• Christa Marandino, GEOMAR: cmarandino@geomar.de
• Dennis Booge, GEOMAR: dbooge@geomar.de

Visit the project website: www.arctic-iceberg.eu