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Associated Press

As bubbles ripple across a frigid Finnish lake, diver Daan Jacobs emerges from a hole carved out of the thick, crackling ice.
He had dived eight metres (26 feet) beneath the surface in a remote place few see, especially in winter, when snow blankets the ice and temperatures on land approach minus 40 degrees in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.
But Jacobs, a biodiversity adviser in the Netherlands, is one of a growing number of fortunate underwater explorers getting to dive beneath the Arctic and Antarctic ice to study the flora and fauna below.
He was part of the Polar Scientific Diving class in the far north of Finland earlier this month, a programme designed by the Finnish Scientific Diving Academy to train the next generation of scientists and researchers.
“The view is beautiful,” Jacobs says, gulping for air following his 45-minute dive.
The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet. Higher temperatures at the North Pole spell disaster for the globe, from affecting worldwide weather patterns to causing sea levels to rise.

Scientists therefore need to study what is underneath the remaining Arctic – and Antarctic – ice and determine how climate change is affecting the plants and animals that have traditionally survived along the sea floor with little to no sunlight.
But carrying out such research requires specialised scuba diving skills plus the proper scientific background – qualifications that experts say only a few hundred people in the world currently have.
The Finnish Scientific Diving Academy’s class aims to not only train more divers but also to convince the world that the polar ice crisis requires additional research.
“Because it is melting so fast, we need to have more people deployed there – more science to be done – to understand better what happens,” says marine biologist Erik Wurz, 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.”

Human hands are still necessary for this in a world that is outsourcing work to artificial intelligence and robots, says British Antarctic Survey marine biologist Simon Morley. Dragging nets across the sea floor would destroy the habitat, and a remotely operated submersible or robot can usually only pick up one specimen at a time.
“A diver can go down and pick up 12 urchins, put them in a bag and not affect the rest of the system,” says Morley, who is not part of the course.
During each 10-day session, the academy’s instructors drill a dozen experienced divers on a frozen lake at the University of Helsinki’s Kilpisjarvi Biological Station. The programme began in 2024, and the demand has allowed them to add a second session per year.
The participants range from marine and freshwater biologists and other scientists to skilled recreational divers and documentary filmmakers.
Caroline Chen, a scientific diver and research assistant in Germany, says it is her dream to dive in the polar regions. She believes her experience in this course will help her design future experiments in such challenging conditions.

The students must learn more than just diving under ice that is nearly a metre thick and into water temperatures that hover just above freezing. They also have to learn to become safety divers in case of an emergency, like if the primary diver cannot find the hole in the ice to surface after 45 minutes below.
Once they are underwater, the divers say it is an incredible experience.
“It looks insane from the bottom up,” Chen says. “It changes all the time, like the Northern Lights.”


The scientists diving deep beneath Arctic ice to discover the secrets below

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Climate change

A diver swims under the ice during a Polar Scientific Diving class in Kilpisjarvi in Finland. Photo: AP

A polar bear is seen on ice floes in the Franz Josef Land archipelago in 2021. The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet. Photo: AFP

Erik Wurz (right) prepares a safety diver on standby in case of an emergency under the ice during a session. Photo: AFP

Caroline Chen (left), a scientific diver and research assistant, and Ruari Buijs, a marine biology and oceanography student, prepare to dive during a Polar Scientific Diving class. Photo: AP

Best things to do in Harbin, China’s ice festival mecca with a Russian accent

Tourists admire ice sculptures during the Harbin  International Ice and Snow Festival in 2023. As well as hosting the world’s largest ice festival, the capital of Heilongjiang province in northeastern China is home to delicious local delicacies and Russian influences, which make it great for a weekend getaway. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

A view of the 1958 Flood Control Monument and the Ice and Snow Carnival from the lobby terrace of the Hotel Indigo Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

Tie guo dun one-pot stew at Shan He Tun in Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

Pedestrians walk on Harbin’s Central Street, which is believed to be the longest pedestrian thoroughfare in Asia. Photo: Xinhua

Crowds gather at the Hongzhuan Street morning market in Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

The facade of the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum in Harbin’s Nangang district. Photo: Xiong Yang

Guo bao rou, or crispy pork slices coated in a sweet-and-sour glaze, at Lao Chu Jia. Photo: Xiong Yang

Dumplings from Dongfang Jiaozi Wang, a Harbin institution that has been around since the 1990s. Photo: Xiong Yang

Pedestrians walk around Zhong Hua Ba Luo Ke, or the Chinese Baroque area, in Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

Stuffed cabbage rolls at Tatoc restaurant, a traditional Russian restaurant in Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

Hong Kong’s daan tat, Singapore’s ice kachang: Asian foods make their way into global English

Egg tarts from the now closed Gold Garden Cafe in Cheung Sha Wan, Hong Kong. The Cantonese name for the tarts, daan tat, has entered the Oxford English Dictionary. Photo: Jelly Tse

A dai pai dong in Hong Kong. “Dai pai dong” was included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Lau Pa Sat, also known as Telok Ayer Market, is Singapore’s most iconic hawker centre. In 2020, Singapore’s hawker culture was inscribed onto Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Photo: Shutterstock

Ais kacang, aka ice kachang, in Penang, Malaysia. Photo: SCMP

For a unique Arctic cruise experience, spend a night in a glass igloo atop a cruise ship

Travel blogger Gastronomictraveler from Taiwan describes his experience on the National Geographic Endurance as “unreal”

Travel blogger The Gastronomic Traveler from Taiwan enjoys a cup of coffee while looking out across Arctic waters from the glass igloo aboard the National Geographic Endurance cruise ship, operated by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions. Photo: Instagram/gastronomictraveler

The National Geographic Endurance (pictured) and its sister ship the National Geographic Resolution offer guests a night under the stars in a glass igloo. Photo: TNS

An igloo aboard the National Geographic Endurance. Photo: TNS

The igloo is surprisingly warm and the frosted glass offers privacy, while the side of the igloo facing away from the ship has clear glass. Photo: Instagram/solindblad

The National Geographic Endurance cruise ship is purpose-built for the Arctic. Photo: TNS

6 of Singapore’s best hidden speakeasy bars that will take you back in time – and how to find them

Bartenders at Chandu create drinks with a narrative that are loosely based on history. Photo: The Robertson House by the Crest Collection

A bartender mixes a drink at Chandu, one of our picks of six of the best hidden speakeasy bars in Singapore. Photo: The Robertson House by the Crest Collection

The Mizuwari whisky highball at Live Twice uses Hokkaido soft water rather than soda to accentuate the malt notes of the Japanese Nikka whiskies. Photo: Instagram/@livetwicesg

Chandu is inspired by Singapore’s colonial era, when opium dens flourished in the city state. Photo: The Robertson House by The Crest Collection

Chandu’s Mata Hari cocktail is named after a Dutch dancer and courtesan. Photo: Facebook/Chandu

Oriental Elixir, located in a Peranakan rowhouse, is a dimly lit watering hole for nonconformist cocktails. Photo: Philipp Meier

Oriental Elixir’s Malabar Tamarind cocktail combines the sour ingredient with roasted cherry tomato gin, dry vermouth. Photo: Instagram/@oriental.elixir

Junior the Pocket Bar is a small, 25-seater speakeasy that tasks itself with changing the menu completely every few months. Photo: Philipp Meier

A cocktail titled Sesame from the Korea-inspired menu at Junior the Pocket Bar. Photo: Junior the Pocket Bar

Jade Harbour is part of The Bund menu currently offered at Junior the Pocket Bar, inspired by the Shanghai district. Credit: Junior the Pocket Bar

For its Korean Joseon dynasty-inspired menu, the interiors of Junior the Pocket Bar featured dragons. Photo: Philipp Meier

Roxy is a hip-hop-inspired speakeasy hidden inside the Miss Fitz restaurant in Singapore’s Marina Bay. Photo: Facebook/Roxy

The drinks at Roxy are based on classics, but are given their own spin. Photo: Facebook/Roxy

Last Word has finessed tipples that were invented in the 1920s. Photo: Philipp Meier

Last Word’s eponymous cocktail is a classic, blending gin, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse and lime. Photo: Instagram/@lastwordsg

Lifestyle

Scientists want to understand the impact of climate change on Arctic and Antarctic marine life amid rapidly warming sea temperatures


Scientists want to understand the impact of climate change on Arctic and Antarctic marine life amid rapidly warming sea temperatures.


Arctic

The scientists diving deep beneath Arctic ice to discover the secrets below

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Scientists want to understand the impact of climate change on Arctic and Antarctic marine life amid rapidly warming sea temperatures

Scientists want to understand the impact of climate change on Arctic and Antarctic marine life amid rapidly warming sea temperatures