Whilst on board the luxury Swan Hellenic expedition boat SH Vega in the North East Greenland National Park, Mark has the opportunity to catch up with two researchers at the cutting edge of their respective fields.

Stephanie Northen is a marine biologist in the final year of her PhD at the University of Portsmouth where she studies how everyday plastic packaging breaks down into microplastics in our oceans. Alongside her research she works with the Revolution Plastics Institute on projects that connect science to policy, industry and community action.

Serafima Andreeva is a researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, the leading institute on Arctic international affairs in Norway where she researches Arctic geopolitics, governance and security. She is also affiliated with the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network as well as the Arctic Institute, where she has the podcast ‘The Circumpolar’.

Both Serafima and Stephanie are on board SH Vega as guest lecturers, giving Mark the opportunity to pin them down for a conversation on the ocean waves.

Find out more about Mark and his passion for exploring with purpose

Tales from High Latitudes is produced in partnership with Adventurous Audio

Sound effects used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

Stein Ø. Nilsen, XC379429. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/379429.

Jacob Lotz, XC428867. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/428867.

Lars Edenius, XC790006. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/790006.

Jarek Matusiak, XC671025. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/671025.

Based in Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Jason Roberts is an award-winning filmmaker, polar expert, dedicated environmentalist, and world leading authority on Polar Bears. He has devoted his life to both the Arctic and Antarctic, working with the production of natural history documentaries, Hollywood feature films, and landmark Drama series.

Prior to filmmaking he worked for research institutes doing field studies on a number of projects concerning our polar regions. Through his passion for the poles he has aided yachts, art projects and intrepid explorers to achieve their near impossible goals. Jason’s inspiration is that through information presented in Natural History programs, art, and exploration younger generations can create a wave of change to protect the planet’s environment for the future.

Mark first met Jason more than 30 years ago whilst overwintering on Svalbard, and in this podcast they talk about Jason’s career, what brought him to Svalbard and listen to a few top tips for those who wish to follow in his footsteps.

Discover more about and follow Polar X

Find out more about Mark and his passion for exploring with purpose

Tales from High Latitudes is produced in partnership with Adventurous Audio

Sound effects used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

Stein Ø. Nilsen, XC379429. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/379429.

Jacob Lotz, XC428867. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/428867.

Lars Edenius, XC790006. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/790006.

Jarek Matusiak, XC671025. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/671025.

Svalbard is a globally crucial hub for science, serving as a natural laboratory for Arctic and global research. Its unique high-latitude location, accessible infrastructure and position at the heart of Arctic climate change make it an indispensable site for studying atmospheric science, earth observation and global food security.

In this podcast Mark has a conversation with Marine Scientist Dr Laura Hobbs whilst their expedition boat the SH Vega is moored in Longyearbyen. Laura is a lecturer in Arctic Marine Science at The Scottish Association for Marine Science, and mostly focuses on understanding zooplankton distribution and behaviour as a function of the environment in which they live, with a particular focus on light. Laura explains what she has been doing up on Svalbard on this particular journey, describes her work at the International research base at Ny Alesund and has some sage advice for aspiring marine biologists.

Find out more about Mark and his passion for exploring with purpose

Tales from High Latitudes is produced in partnership with Adventurous Audio

Sound effects used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

Stein Ø. Nilsen, XC379429. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/379429.

Lars Edenius, XC790006. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/790006.

Join adventurer Mark Evans on an exploration with purpose to the planet's high latitudes.

Tales from High Latitudes is a collection of captivating stories from explorers, scientists and those who live and work at high latitudes. The series aims to spark curiosity and deepen public interest in the polar regions, and their unique environments, cultures and challenges.

From 49 day camel crossings of the world’s largest sand desert to 24 day, parachute assisted crossings of the Greenland icecap; from leading BBC-featured expeditions to uninhabited islands in the Canadian High Arctic to spending two years leading expeditions and overwintering with dogs while conducting research on Svalbard for some of Norway’s and the UK’s leading academic and scientific institutions, Mark Evans has spent much of his life living on the edge of human tolerance.

This gives him a unique perspective on life and living at the world's high latitudes, so come and join Mark.....whatever latitude you are at.

Find out more about Mark and his passion for exploring with purpose

Tales from High Latitudes is produced in partnership with Adventurous Audio

Sound effects used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

Stein Ø. Nilsen, XC379429. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/379429.

Jacob Lotz, XC428867. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/428867.

Lars Edenius, XC790006. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/790006.

Jarek Matusiak, XC671025. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/671025.

steve, XC875609. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/875609.