20 June 2023:  At Meeting room, 1st floor, Royal Library Building, Wang Srapathum, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously granted a royal audience to Prof. Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong, the Member of the Executive Board and Secretary General of the Information Technology Foundation under the Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (PSIT), members of PSIT executive committee, and researchers who will travel to participate in the Arctic Research Cruise with the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) in 2023, along with agency executives before departing to participate in the said research.

     PSIT has carried out the polar research project under the royal initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn who envisioned that Thai researchers participate in polar science research studies to develop the country’s progress in polar science to be on par with international ones.  A memorandum of understanding on cooperation in polar science research was signed between the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in polar science research among five Thai agencies, including NSTDA, Chulalongkorn University,  Burapha University,  National Institute of Development Administration and the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Public Organization) (NARIT) and the Polar Research Institute of China. The objective is to establish  cooperation in research about the polar regions in various areas that are beneficial to the planning and preparation to sufficiently support and alleviate the effects of climate change and global warming.  Until present, there are 28 Thai scientists and researchers traveling to study and do research in the North and South Pole (15 in the South Pole area and 13 in the North Pole area).

     In 2023, there are 2 Thai researchers from Chulalongkorn University who will be traveling to participate in Arctic Research Cruise with PRIC as follows:

1. Dr. Sujaree Burikul, Lecturer, Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science
2. Mr. Anupap Panichphon, Researcher, Water Resources Research Institute

Research topics that they will do in this mission are:

       1) Microplastics and the associated microbiome that accumulates in the microbiome of water masses, sediments, and organisms in the Arctic Ocean
       2) Nutrient cycling and carbon dioxide fluxes: Signals of biogeochemical responses to changes in the Arctic Ocean in global warming.

     The researchers will depart Thailand on July 7, 2023 and will spend approximately 80 days surveying and researching between July 12 and September 30, 2023.

     This joint Arctic research voyage with PRIC will be beneficial to Thailand.  It is an expansion of research done at the North Pole in Thailand five years ago, which studied the effects of global warming and small plastic waste on benthic marine animals in the Arctic Ocean, north of Svalbard, between July and August 2018 and raise the progress of Thai research and researchers to be on par with those in other countries. It is part of strengthening and promoting the sustainability of polar research and the polar marine environment which raises awareness of marine environment conservation in the Arctic area. The knowledge gained can be used for other studies to provide information for planning and management in the face of future changes.