Forel, a Swiss research vessel for the scientists

From mapping fjords to studying particles, the Forel research vessel leads multidisciplinary expeditions in the Arctic to better understand the impact of global warming and marine ecosystems. A true floating laboratory that looks like a Swiss Army knife.

Far from the ocean, Stéphane Aebischer is preparing the next expedition of a ship dedicated to scientific research in the Arctic seas.

This ship is the Forel. A truly multidisciplinary oceanographic research platform dedicated to the study of polar and sub-polar coastal environments. Available to the Swiss and international scientific community, the platform is managed by the Forel-Héritage Association, named after the Swiss limnologist François-Alphonse Forel. A fitting name: “He had a very avant-garde, multidisciplinary approach to the study of lake environments. We wanted to pay tribute to him,” notes Stéphane Aebischer. Based in Chibougamau, in the heart of Cree territory, he takes the time to answer our questions, despite an overloaded schedule. A biologist by training, he is the association’s General Manager. “I’m on the twentieth version of my calendar,” he laughs.

But why a ship for coastal environments in particular? “These environments are less studied or more difficult to access. At present, they are of real interest to scientific research and to local communities. These are environments where interactions are numerous, but which are also suffering the impacts of global warming. These regions are also home to many human communities.” An interdisciplinary approach important to the association. “We appreciate having a platform where we can not only do sonography, but where we can study the ocean, land, atmosphere continuum and have a more global vision of ecosystems without separating the different entities.”

The association’s mission is also to train young researchers and sailors in the challenges of the polar regions, raise public awareness of environmental issues, and popularize scientific knowledge, while seeking to include local communities in its programs. It’s a process that takes time, however, and depends on the research project. “It’s up to the researchers themselves to decide whether they want to integrate traditional knowledge into their work. As the association does not operate in its own territories, it is essential to inform local communities of the ship’s arrival and what it is doing. This is part of a process of respect and building a relationship of trust with communities in the North, who are used to seeing Westerners come to their territories.”

Although the association is new – it was created just over a year ago – it is already starting to develop local partnerships, such as with the Uummannaq Polar Institute in Greenland, to share knowledge and resources, and create links with communities. For example, a polar cod program seeks to work with Greenlandic hunters to better understand local food chains. “The process takes time and varies from country to country. In Canada, for example, consultation processes to gain access to research areas are lengthy, sometimes taking over a year.”

And it’s not just dealing with the authorities that takes time. The entire planning of a Forel expedition is a long and complex process, extending over several months, even years. It involves securing research project proposals, obtaining the necessary permits and authorizations, coordinating logistics such as crew, equipment and supplies, and adapting the ship’s configuration to meet specific research needs. The team works closely with ship captains to plan safe and efficient routes based on factors such as ice conditions and weather.

A resolutely coastal floating laboratory

Swiss to the tip of its bow, the Forel looks like a Swiss Army knife when you discover the equipment on board. A CTD Rosette for water column physico-chemical profiles and sampling, a Ferrybox for surface water physicochemistry, a weather station and three laboratories – wet, dry and clean.

And when it comes to navigating icy waters, the Forel is no novice. Its previous owner was the famous Brazilian explorer and adventurer Amyr Klink. “He designed this vessel for his expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic. He therefore chose materials such as aluminum to reinforce the hull and endow the vessel with considerable autonomy. For our part, we added solar panels to generate electricity on board and an osmosis system to produce large quantities of fresh water every day.”

“We’ve also made sure that the ship is as clean as possible in terms of its ecological footprint. We are well aware that a ship pollutes, and we have included systems to reduce nitric oxides in the exhausts. We also have a wastewater treatment system on board. Our sails, of course, enable us to limit the use of fuel oil, and we have chosen to limit the use of petroleum-based materials. For example, our deck is covered in cork, which is rather comfortable, looks good and is ecological at the same time.”

The Forel is not rated for sailing in thick ice or drifting in polar regions where pressures are too high. But that’s not its purpose. In fact, it has features that make it suitable for coastal environments and certain ice conditions. It has two keels under its reinforced hull, enabling the vessel to run aground in complete safety, a real plus in shallow coastal areas. The ship’s rudders provide good steering, and the centreboard, which can also be raised, ensures optimum stability. What’s more, the vessel can break through a certain thickness of ice and winter in shallow bays.

From the Saguenay to the Greenland ice cap

After a complete refit in 2023-2024, the Forel carried out its first mission in spring-summer 2024, south of Greenland. For this maiden voyage, the former expedition ship embarked two research programs: the multidisciplinary Greenfjord project, partly funded by the Swiss Polar Institute, and a benthic ecology program from Université Laval in Quebec. This first mission was a great success.

Currently moored in Lorient, the Forel will be brought back to Quebec to start its new season on an even more ambitious schedule, with 140 days of expedition planned. “Compared to last year, we’ve increased the number of operating days on board the ship.”

Expedition 2025 plans to collaborate with Canadian researchers affiliated with the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and Université Laval in the Saguenay Fjord, one of the world’s most northerly and densely populated fjords. The program will focus on mapping the fjord’s vertical walls: “While horizontal topography has already been extensively studied, the vertical aspect remains a little-explored area,” explains Stéphane Aebischer. “Polar fjords, often several hundred meters deep, are home to a specific biodiversity, including organisms living on submerged walls. These organisms have been somewhat overlooked in models. The aim of this project is to map these walls to better understand the ecosystems that live there and their role in the overall balance of the fjords.”

The project will also include a physico-chemical study of the fjord’s water masses, to better understand this complex environment where gigantic masses of fresh and salt water mix, their stratification and their impact on marine ecosystems.

Another component, the program on nano- and micro-particles in the oceans, will accompany the 2025 expedition all the way from Quebec to Disko Bay. This key program will study both natural and anthropogenic particles circulating in the northern hemisphere. “This project focuses in particular on soot from forest burning, a phenomenon of growing concern in northern Quebec, which has an impact on albedo and the concentration of pollutants. The aim is to better understand their role and their potentially harmful effects in marine ecosystems.”

Additional programs in north-west Greenland on greenhouse gas emissions from sub-glacial flows, and on polar cod. A fish whose populations are being affected by global warming, and which may well find some respite in the meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet. “This hypothesis is currently being tested to determine whether the melting ice cap provides a thermal refuge for eggs and larvae.”

To end its season on a high note, the Forel will continue on to southern Greenland, where it will join the Greenfjord program. Focusing on biodiversity, atmospheric and oceanographic studies, it will also provide an opportunity to test instruments developed by the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, before concluding with a social science component to better understand the interactions between local communities and science.

While the 2025 scientific expedition hasn’t even started yet, the question of Antarctica is already being raised. “We’ve already been approached, but nothing concrete. For the moment, we’re concentrating on our missions and trying to move forward. Antarctica will probably be in the next two or three years, while we prove ourselves and the ship is really tried and tested in the Arctic environment.”

The Forel’s aluminum hull will continue to ply the waters of the Far North, always at the service of Swiss and international researchers.

Find out more at https://www.forel-heritage.org/en/