settlement at Spitzbergen during their 16 day foray in the Arctic Ocean.
Mona, a laboratory technician at North Highland College's Environmental Research Institute, travelled with her colleagues on the British Antarctic Survey vessel, RRS James Clark Ross.
The vessel sailed from Leith on the mission, which was co-ordinated by the Scottish Asssociation for Marine Sciences.
Also aboard were two post graduate students from East Anglia University, Susanne Kadner and Martin Johnson, who are attached to the ERI.
Danish born Mona, who lives in Keiss, returned to her day job exhaused, but exhilarated, by the experience.
Mona, who spent most of her life in arts and crafts, switched to science when she did a chemistry course at the college in 1987. Based at the ERI since it opened two years ago, her previous fieldwork has involved collecting seawater from the Pentland Firth and seaweed and other specimens from north coast beaches.
She jumped at the chance to go on the Arctic mission.
mona was surprised at the calm seas the vessel encountered, with the only slightly unsettling moments being when they ran into ice-fields.
"It was really calm and quiet so when the boat hit ice, it seemed like an almighty crash. It was quite spectacular."
The vessel, which is strengthened to deal with such conditions, was making her first trip to the Arctic zone.
Mona's job was to gather samples of phytoplankton - tiny, single-celledplants that form the basis of the food chain in the oceans.
Data gathered from them can be used to improve the understanding of many issues, from fisheries to climate change.
They are viewed by scientists as a key regulator of global warming. She reckons she has taken back from the edge of the ice floes between 450 and 500 samples, which are preserved in liquid nitrogen.
The mother of two is now hard at work in her lab, at the ERI, analysing the results - a task which will take her several months.

for further information
Mona.Larsen@thurso.uhi.ac.uk