SVALBARD, Norway — The famous Baton Rouge-born Nader sisters will participate in a study this month examining how women's health is affected by extreme climates.

The "eXtreme Environment and Reproductive Sleep and Circadian Health" study will be conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the University of Arizona and the Space Prize Foundation. 

The researchers' goal is to understand how "extreme polar environments affect women's health, specifically reproductive, sleep, and circadian rhythms." They will examine how cold temperatures, isolation and disrupted light-dark cycles affect such aspects of women's health.

Brooks, Mary Holland, Grace Ann and Sarah Jane Nader, along with their "fellow explorers," will first undergo measurements at the University of Arizona's sleep and circadian laboratory, which simulates International Space Station conditions, researchers said. 

They will then travel to Svalbard, Norway, for a week, where field data will be collected using portable sleep-monitoring and biosample tools. While in Norway, the study subjects will join scientists in exploring the icy region on snowmobiles and cross-country skis. 

"This is both a scientific contribution and a cultural statement," the Nader sisters said in a statement. "We see this as a chance to continue the conversation we've been having around women's health into a new frontier – what our bodies are capable of when tested at the extremes. We hope our participation inspires more women to take part in future research and help grow the data and visibility this field needs."

When they return, researchers will conduct post-travel assessments to "analyze recovery and physiological recalibration after returning from the Arctic."