"Now that the ice-breaking research ship RV Polarstern has returned to its dock in Norway, researchers like Dartmouth’s Donald Perovich are getting a look at the data that the ship’s expedition to the Arctic yielded," reports the New Hampshire Union Leader.

"'The fun continues,' Perovich said. 'This is like Christmas morning opening up this data set. We’ll be exploiting the MOSAiC data for years and decades to come.'

"MOSAiC, or the Multidisciplinary-drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate expedition, is the largest venture to date to the Arctic, including more than 600 people from 19 different countries and costing more than $150 million.

"Perovich, a professor with Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering, was spending his Tuesday morning looking at the data on the albedo — the reflection of sunlight off the ice.

"'It’s simple but it’s really important. Sunlight is key to earth’s weather and climate,' Perovich said.