Bedford Borough’s Sonia Evans has been chosen by world-renowned explorer, Jim McNeill, to join an expedition to be the first in history to reach the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility.
The 20-year-old, who is from Sharnbrook and studying at Plymouth University, has her dreams of becoming a polar explorer now coming true as she takes on a comprehensive and intensive training programme.
This will then see her take on one of four 20-day legs, pushing the route across the Arctic Ocean to the Pole of Inaccessibility.
Defined as the furthest point from land on the Arctic Ocean, the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility remains the last truly significant place in the Polar Regions, yet to be reached by humankind.
It is over 270 miles further than the Geographic North Pole and the whole journey will be near to 800 miles from the northern shores of Canada.
The four north poles
- Geographic North Pole (90°N): A fixed location on the surface of the Arctic Ocean where the lines of longitude meet and at the top axis of the Earth’s rotation. First seen in 1926 from the airship, Norge.
- Magnetic North Pole (86.50°N and 164.04°E): A wandering location at 90 degrees to the Earth’s surface where lines of magnetic force exit. The north-seeking end of a compass needle points to this pole it moves at a current rate of 60km every year.
- Geomagnetic North Poles (80.7°N, 71.7°W): The point where the geomagnetic field is closest to True North and the northern end of the geomagnetic field which surrounds the Earth in space as the magnetosphere. Aurora Borealis occur around this pole.
- Northern Pole Of Inaccessibility (85.8°N, 176.15°E): The farthest point from any coastline or the very centre of the Arctic Ocean. Established by Sir Hubert Wilkins by aircraft in 1927 and recently re-positioned by Jim McNeill and NSIDC scientists using satellite technology.
The expedition is not just a record-breaking adventure, however, as Sonia and the team will be gathering “crucial datasets” to monitor climate change.
This will help set the condition of the ocean for scientists at the NASA-funded National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) led by Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Walt Meier.
This data, along with weather data, measurements of pollution, and counting polar bears that may encounter, will deliver the reality of climate change and make the whole endeavour worthwhile and purposeful.
“As a student hoping to spend a career in Polar research, the Ice Warrior expedition is an incredible opportunity that I feel privileged to be a part of,” said Sonia Evans.
“I’m super excited to contribute to global change science, experience Arctic conditions, and face the mental and physical challenges that will come with this.”
Explorer, expedition leader and Founder of Ice Warrior, Jim McNeill added, “I’m delighted to have Sonia in the expedition team and look forward to training her in every aspect which will make her a competent polar traveller.”
Sonia has recently been training on Dartmoor taking part in team-building, as well as learning about navigation, outdoor first aid, firearms, pully systems and knots.
Training will continue in January at Longyearbyen in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard before the expedition sets off from Canada in February.
The Bedford Independent will be reporting on Sonia and the Ice Warrior expedition but you can follow her progress yourself too on Instagram.
