On board are three PhD students studying the invisible but critical issue of nanoparticles and colloids in the Arctic Ocean. Their mission is coordinated from shore by Julien Gigault, researcher at Takuvik (ULaval / CNRS), specialist in emerging contaminants.
Juliette Le Hec – Takuvik Research Laboratory
She studies nanoplastics, PFAS, and soot released by melting glaciers, revealing how human pollution reaches even the most remote parts of the planet.
Bleuenn Prijac – LEGOS (Toulouse)
Supervised by Mélanie Grenier, Julien Gigault, and David Point, she uses thorium and beryllium isotopes to trace the origin and transport of anthropogenic nanoparticles to the Arctic Ocean.
Indiana Bruzac – Takuvik Research Laboratory
She focuses on iron colloids released by glaciers, studying their behavior and reactivity in seawater — tiny but powerful drivers of Arctic ocean chemistry.
Together, these researchers — at sea and on land — form a connected scientific community, navigating the Arctic at both nanometric and planetary scales.
FOREL is about to reach Ilulissat. The journey continues along Greenland’s western coasts. If you’re nearby, feel free to come say hello on board!
