Fieldwork
Expeditions
We sail to Bear Island, Svalbard and other parts of the Arctic with young people, scientists and storytellers on board arctic-classed expedition vessels.
Protecting the Arctic
Gate to the Arctic is a non-profit organisation working to protect the Arctic. Through expeditions, science and storytelling, we develop young Arctic ambassadors who experience the Arctic first-hand and share what they learn.
What we do
From expedition to knowledge
We take young people, scientists and storytellers into the field in the Arctic. Participants take part in everything from sailing and navigation to beach clean-ups and scientific sampling, and bring what they learn back to their schools, communities and networks.
Education
Arctic ambassadors
Our education programme is aimed at upper secondary students and university students. Through teaching, workshops and fieldwork they become ambassadors who share their knowledge with others.
Research
Science and documentation
On every expedition we collect samples of seawater, soil, air and marine litter. The data is shared with our research partners, and we turn it into films, articles and visualisations that make Arctic change visible.
Our programme
Think globally, act locally
Our youth programme runs in three phases and works with schools, science centres, research institutions and the expedition community. It supports UN Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action) and 14 (Life Below Water).
Phase 1
Learn
Workshops and lectures about the Arctic, its unique ecosystem and the human-made challenges it faces. Participants are also trained in data collection and visualisation.
Phase 2
Experience
Fieldwork in the Arctic, where participants meet scientists, local young people and experts, collect data, study microplastics and document changes in nature.
Phase 3
Share
As Arctic ambassadors, participants share what they have learned through presentations, workshops, exhibitions and digital stories in their schools and local communities.
Why the Arctic
What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic
The Arctic is warming several times faster than the rest of the world
Melting ice, plastic pollution and growing industrial activity are putting a fragile ecosystem under pressure. Changes in sea ice, ocean currents and ecosystems in the north affect climate, food supply and biodiversity across the planet. Even on remote Bear Island, halfway between mainland Norway and Svalbard, the beaches are covered in marine litter carried by currents from all over the world.
Who we are
Our team
Gate to the Arctic was founded by Catharina Frostad and Jon Amtrup, who both have long experience of sailing and expeditions in Arctic waters. Our work is scientifically anchored through our collaboration with Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Catharina Frostad, co-founder
Sailor, explorer and ocean advocate. Board Director of The Explorers Club and co-founder of Clean Sea Solutions, with many years of experience taking young people to sea through expeditions and science education.
Jon Amtrup, co-founder
Journalist, author, podcaster and member of The Explorers Club. As skipper of the expedition yacht SY Njord, Jon has sailed to Svalbard, Greenland and Bear Island, and along the Norwegian coast in both summer and winter. He is the author of High Latitude Sailing (Bloomsbury), a guide to preparing for expeditions in cold waters, and has worked full time clearing marine litter from the Norwegian coast. Jon leads our storytelling from the expeditions.
Prof. Dimitri Deheyn, scientific advisor
Marine biologist and professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego. Dimitri ensures the scientific grounding of our work.