by Matthew Shupe, CIRES/NOAA scientist and co-coordinator of MOSAiC

The group of people assembled here for Leg 4 is now starting to get to know each other. One detail that strikes me is the youth. We have many PhD students and post-docs, here representing a great breadth of science. Many people have not been to the Arctic before, or experienced anything like the adventure we are about to undertake. While this limited experience does pose some risks, I have a really good feeling about this Leg. Not that we will be without challenges, because certainly the Arctic will challenge us in many ways. It is just that I think the collection of people here have a great energy. Everyone is excited and eager to get to the field. Seemingly ready to put in the hard work that we know will be necessary.  And everyone here understands what they are getting into. They understand that the world is gripped by this pandemic. They understand the risks and implications of being in the field right now. And they understand that we could be delayed in our return home for any numbers of reasons. Lastly, I believe that they understand that there will be many challenges for us as we play out this adventure. This is a good place to start, and a good energy to carry us forward.