– I could have been a scientist, but it's the technical aspects that truly fascinate me

Early fall 2025. The research project Into the Blue (i2B) is on a cruise in the Arctic with ‘RV Kronprins Haakon.' They are in the process of taking sediment samples from the seabed. Suddenly, the unexpected happens. They lose the Calypso corer, the large sampling tube used to take up 15-20 meters long sediment samples from the seafloor.

While attempting to save the corer, the wire breaks. The crucial equipment sinks to the seabed. The researchers, the captain, and the rest of the crew fear this is the end of the cruise. But not the technicians.

Dag Inge Blindheim and colleague Stig Monsen from UiB spot a gravity corer on board. Usually, this piece of equipment does not go deeper than 5-6 meters into the sediment. But Dag Inge and Stig see opportunities. Within a week, they modify the gravity corer and create a solution that can retrieve longer cores. The cruise can continue.

– To do this at sea without access to other equipment or materials than what we have on board is not only a remarkable achievement, but shows incredible dedication and expertise, says expedition co-leader on i2B, Stijn De Schepper, about Dag Inge and Stig’s efforts.

For Dag Inge, the loss of the calypso corer was a critical situation too. But there is a reason why his job title is ‘Lead Engineer’ and he is called a technician when he is participating on a cruise, even though his educational background is marine geologist.

– I could have been a scientist, but it is the technical aspects of marine geology on expeditions and core sampling that truly fascinate me; finding good solutions for sampling and developing and adapting methods for how we handle the materials later, he says.

He was on his first cruise in 1994. Since then, he has been on cruises once or twice per year. He does not know how many expeditions he has been on, but “around 40”, he estimates. To the Norwegian Sea, the Arctic, the Mediterranean, Antarctica, and other places.

– When a piston corer is used, I am always involved. It was developed by the Swede Kullenberg in 1947. But my favorite is the multicorer. The tubes it brings up from the sea floor are small, compressed aquariums. You get an insight into the transition between geology and biology, he says.

Stijn De Schepper has been on several cruises with Dag Inge and highlights the importance of technicians for researchers to do their work.

– Technicians are key to taking marine sediment cores, and marine sediments record the history of our oceans and the climate. Year by year, sediments fall to the seafloor, building a climate record over thousands and even millions of years. With every cm going down, you go back hundreds or even thousands of years. Put simply: the longer the core, the further back in time you can go, explains De Schepper.

– The most satisfying part of the job is taking a perfect core, Dag Inge says.

To do this, you must not only have technical insight and the expertise to handle a Calypso corer, but you also need an understanding of the nature of the sediments.

– I have the advantage of knowing the process from start to finish. If we take up a core, I know what it will be used for later and what considerations we need to take into account. I discuss with the researchers what the optimal sample is, but they do not necessarily know the equipment and possibilities, and this is where I can help. I want to deliver an optimal product to the researchers and share the opportunities I know exist, he explains.

– If they say ‘I want a sample here’, I ask what they will use it for. Then I might suggest that we need to take the sample somewhere else to get a more optimal sample.

He emphasizes that the most important thing is still what always has been important.

– It is to find good locations and find good cores.

With around 40 expeditions on his CV, he has many memories from the various places he has been. Particularly he remembers an expedition to the Southern Ocean in 2008.

– That is the worst storm I have ever been in. It was a very long expedition but just traveling there and go ashore in such a unique place that you would otherwise never visit is a great experience. This expedition stands out, he says, while also highlighting two other expeditions.

– In 2015 and 2016, I was on an expedition to Greenland. They were very well organized. We took many cores that we still have and work with. The material we collect is often used 10 to 20 years later. It is the basis for a lot of work later. The cores we took in Greenland in 2016 laid the foundation for the AGENSI ERC project, led by Stijn De Schepper from 2019-2025. He took some samples of the cores and found that we could learn about ancient ecosystems by analyzing the DNA from these samples. This also laid the foundation for establishing the aDNA lab at NORCE.

Dag Inge and colleagues, especially from UiB, have built up an archive of sediment samples from different parts of the world.

– If we store them cold and properly, we can use them 30-40 years later. The oldest samples we have date back to 1995. UiB has samples from the late '70s. It costs large sums to go on cruises, so we have a responsibility to take care of what we collect.

Twenty years ago, when Dag Inge was organizing the archive with sediment core, he discovered that each researcher labeled the sediment samples in their own way.

– The French use Roman numerals, while the Canadians and British use letters. You must mark the section number and what is up and down on the core. Otherwise, the samples are worthless, he says.

Therefore, he and his technician colleagues developed a system where they label the sample with the vessel, year, and section in the same way. This has been called ‘The Bergen Method.’

– If we get a 5-meter core divided into five sections, we label them from 1 to 5 from the bottom to the top and mark the orientation with an arrow marker towards the top so that there are no confusion and misunderstandings.

In December, Dag Inge returned from the fourth and final GoNorth expedition. His role was to take cores with the multi-corer, but the season was a challenge due to the icy conditions in the Arctic during the winter.

– The challenge is not taking the core itself, but getting to where the cores are, he says.

The GoNorth project ended with this cruise, but research and expertise continue in ‘Polhavet 2050’, a new 10-year research program for the Arctic. Going forward, there will probably be quite a few cruises to look forward to.

– I don't complain. I like it very much. I like the atmosphere, and I like being at sea. When you are on a cruise, you are dedicated to the cruise. You can be very dedicated and try to do a good job. You get out of the office. That is what provides the extra vitamins and a break from the daily routine.

In the Climate and Environment department, apart from Dag Inge Blindheim, Amandine Tisserand, Sigrid Mugu, Jean Negrel, Saúl Rodríguez Martínez, and Torunn Svanevik Landås hold the title of engineer. Katja Häkli, who left in the autumn of 2025, also held this title.

In the Energy and Technology department, Fredrik Heimstad, Jon Barsnes, Amund F. Utne, Jan Erik Iversen, Kåre Olav Vatne, Mohamed Mousa, Frank Ådland, Benyamin Akdemir, Erik T. Hauge, and Åge Såghus hold the title of engineer.