Edge of the Arctic Shelf

Ice Hunters
My roommate woke me up this morning with the words "I think we're in the ice." I jumped out of bed, as full of anticipation as a youngster on Christmas morning. Peering out of the porthole, I could see broken bits of melting ice called "brash ice" floating serenely alongside the ship. After twenty days in the Arctic Ocean, we had finally found the ice edge.

After a hasty breakfast, I made my way down to the main lab. On the way I decided to photograph a CTD cast with an icy backdrop. As I waited for the CTD to rise from the depths, a faint orange glow began to light up the clouds off the fantail. My CTD photo shoot was quickly abandoned in favor of a blazing sunrise. The water and ice reflected the orange and purple hues of the clouds. Soon the fantail was crowded with an excited science party. What an amazing way to see arctic ice for the first time. Ellen Naughter summed up our feelings when she said "it's like we're on another planet."

The remaining science stations on this line were fraught with difficulty. The temperature had dropped to a bone-chilling 17°F, causing the CTD pump and Leo's multi-net to freeze up in between stations. The galley came to our rescue by providing us with some salt. Seth devised a saline solution to soak the CTD in so that the delicate sensors wouldn't freeze solid in the frigid air. Leo had to spray the multi-net with warm water to melt the ice that had formed. It was a brief lesson on how harsh this environment can be for our delicate instruments.

While our deep (over 2,000 meters) science stations continued, two helicopter flights were made to scout the ice to the north. Their report was mixed. Although the brash ice continued for some miles to the north, new ice was in the process of being formed. Some large rafts of multi-year ice lay some 60 miles to the north. The aircrews also mentioned sighting polar bears wandering the ice.

After the deep multi-net cast, the bridge turned the Healy's bow northward and the ice breaking began in earnest. At first, we merely pushed aside the brash ice floes. The ice was rotten and broken, and provided no resistance. As the evening wore on, the ice changed character. As new annual ice forms, it passes through several stages. One of the younger stages is called "grease ice," and looks very much as it sounds--a slick layer of very thin ice that wouldn't even support a seagull's weight. The grease ice was easy to spot... Wherever ripples on the water's surface ended, the grease ice began. As we continued northward, we began to see pancake ice, which also looks just like it sounds. Pancakes of ice roughly three feet across were joined by thin ice ridges. The pattern of joined pancakes was a beautiful sight. For more information on sea ice and a glossary of sea ice terms, visit our ice facts page.

After dinner most of the science party descended on the foc'sle to watch the ice pass by. For many of us, seeing this ice is a dream come true. Words can't come close to describing the majesty of this environment. Being in the ice is sensory overload... The sounds, the sights, it's surreal. This dispatch writer and photographer is overwhelmed at the task of translating the beauty of this place, although I'll give it my best shot.

Although we haven't yet seen any polar bears, on several occasions we spotted tracks leading from one floe to another. We know that the polar bear's food is here--Mifaya spotted a seal's nose as it broke the surface to breathe. Our current plan is to continue into the icepack through tomorrow, and then begin another hunt--this time for swirling masses of shelf water called eddies. Be sure to check tomorrow for more images of the ice.