Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) Collection

ACE was the first project carried out by the newly created Swiss Polar Institute (SPI). From December 2016 to March 2017, scientific teams from all over the world took part in this ground-breaking expedition aboard the Russian research vessel Akademik Treshnikov. From biology to climatology to oceanography, the researchers worked in a number of interrelated fields as they sought to expand our understanding of the White Continent.

ACE’s starting point was Cape Town, South Africa. During the Akademik Treshnikov’s pre-expedition voyage from Bremerhaven, Germany, to Cape Town in November 2016, the ship hosted the ACE Maritime University under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society. During this voyage, some 50 up-and-coming scientists attended onboard lectures and engaged in oceanographic work.

The SPI was founded by EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), ETH Zurich, the University of Bern and Editions Paulsen. It was designed to enhance international relations and scientific collaborations and to spark the interest of a new generation of young scientists and explorers in polar research.

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