UNCW Dr Till Wagner (R) drills an ice floe as crew member Sini Saarela (L) and student Elizabeth Baily collect the sea ice core samples during a measurement at an ice floe in the Fram Strait.

A group of five independent scientists from the University of North Carolina Wilmington are on board the Greenpeace ships Arctic Sunrise and Esperanza to conduct research on how melting sea ice affects marine wildlife in the Arctic and draw attention to the need for strong ocean sanctuaries.