arctic sunrise

While our ship the Esperanza is busy confronting the oil industry, our colleages in the US are on the Arctic Sunrise in the Gulf of Mexico, researching the effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill. Paul - a longtime Greenpeace campaigner and campaign director at TckTckTck - updates us on how it's going.

It is just after five o'clock in the morning. I've just had a slice of toast and a cup of tea. The decks are wet from a recent downpour that has cooled the air somewhat. It is quiet, the ship and crew sleep. The 4 to 8 is the best watch. You get to see the sunrise and the sunset. But just now it is the darkness just before the dawn – just the harbour lights and the occasional lightning flash in the darkness.

There's some stunning photography in this final video from the Arctic Sunrise's arctic expedition. Ice sheets, icebergs, glaciers and (yes) polar bears all feature in a kind of greatest hits package from Greenland and beyond. View it on Youtube for a larger, more panoramic version.

Two more powerful video blogs from Eric Phillips, polar explorer and survival guide aboard the Arctic Sunrise in Northern Greenland. With years of experience exploring both polar regions, Eric describes the changes he's seeing now compared to previous trips, and outlines some of the latest findings of the research team he's providing expert support for.