The SYNCHRONY project began on 1 August 2026 with four years of European Union funding worth about 8.5 million euros. The Alfred Wegener Institute leads it. The project brings together 27 research institutions from Europe and beyond, including the British Antarctic Survey. Its stated aim is to expand existing observation networks, consolidate measurement data from various programmes, and create a coherent picture of the changes in Antarctica's climate, ocean and ecosystems.
The need for a coherent picture is visible in the recent record. Antarctic sea ice has reached record lows for several years. Parts of the West Antarctic ice sheet are losing ice at an increasing rate. Deep water formation, a key driver of global ocean currents, appears to be slowing. The long-term consequences for sea levels and the global climate can only be predicted to a limited extent at present.
One small event from early March shows how much movement the system has. An iceberg blocked the northern jetty used to supply Neumayer Station III in Atka Bay. The wind had carried the iceberg to the edge of the ice shelf, and after a few days it blew it away again. The episode is a local example of the change that the project is trying to measure across a larger region.
The project is built on ships, moorings and standardised data
SYNCHRONY is a coordination effort as much as a data collection effort. It aims to consolidate measurement data from different programmes so that the results add up to one consistent record. The Alfred Wegener Institute is contributing several expeditions on the research vessel Polarstern, autonomous measurement systems, and the HAFOS long-term observatory in the Weddell Sea. Polarstern is the German research vessel that the AWI is using for those expeditions. HAFOS is one of the long-term programmes whose data the project will bring together.
Standardisation is the condition that makes data from different institutions comparable. The project's name points to the method: observations need to be synchronised across programmes and over time. The British Antarctic Survey's marine ecologist, Dr Nadine Johnston, says Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play a crucial role in the climate but are undergoing unprecedented environmental change. Through close international collaboration and standardised long-term observations, SYNCHRONY aims to lay the foundations for significantly more reliable climate predictions.
The timing connects SYNCHRONY to two larger scientific efforts
SYNCHRONY is a key component of the UN initiative Antarctica InSync. InSync aims to establish one of the largest scientific observation networks in Antarctica between 2027 and 2029. SYNCHRONY also serves as preparation for the 5th International Polar Year 2032/33. The four-year project is therefore not a standalone study. It is the early organisational layer for a larger observation push.
For expedition travellers, the timing has a practical use. The observation network is planned to grow in the late 2020s, and the Polar Year follows in 2032/33. A voyage in the late 2020s is more likely to encounter ships and instruments that are part of the same coordinated effort. The question worth putting to an operator is simple: what does its expedition team do with observations collected on board? The answer shows whether a voyage feeds the science or only passes through the region.