Dr. Mara Solberg

Dr. Mara Solberg is a marine biologist with a decade of fieldwork experience across Antarctica and the Arctic. She holds a PhD in Marine Ecology and has participated in six scientific expeditions to polar regions, working with research teams studying ice-dependent species, krill population dynamics, and the ecological effects of tourism on Antarctic wildlife.

At AntarcticaCompared, Mara reviews expedition team quality and scientific programme depth — two of the criteria that most distinguish a genuinely enriching expedition from a premium sightseeing cruise. She assesses naturalist credentials, guide-to-guest ratios, specialist coverage (biologists, glaciologists, historians, ornithologists), and the quality of citizen science programmes offered to passengers.

Her fieldwork has taken her aboard research vessels operated by national Antarctic programmes as well as commercial expedition ships, giving her a uniquely comparative perspective on what separates expert interpretation from surface-level guiding. She has particular expertise in evaluating IAATO's wildlife-watching protocols and how well individual operators enforce them in practice.

Mara believes that responsible expedition tourism, done properly, can be a genuine force for conservation — building the base of informed advocates Antarctica needs. Her reviews consistently reward operators who take their scientific programming seriously and penalise those that treat naturalists as an optional add-on.

She is based in Bergen, Norway, and updates her operator assessments each season following the publication of new IAATO environmental monitoring data.