Portrait of Marie-Elise Bettens, volunteer deckhand, Belgium.

The winter of 2015/ 2016 represents a record low for the yearly maximum extent of sea ice across the whole Arctic region. In Svalbard, the fjords would usually be partially covered with sea ice, but this winter most of the archipelago is surrounded by open water. The crew of the Arctic Sunrise ship, which traveled to the region during this important time, found very few patches of fast ice around the coastline. Local guides who lived on Svalbard and who joined the expedition, were surprised to see so little sea ice cover compared with previous years. Ringed seals require good sea ice to raise their young at this time of year and polar bears newly emerged from their dens, rely on healthy sea ice cover on which to hunt the seals.