After two months staring at a black-and-yellow ruler trying to determine ice thickness, it’s so pleasing to see our data being used to assess and model sea ice this summer. We were the ONLY source of thickness data on this side of the Arctic Ocean, which astonished us and also further validated the value of this project – we know we don’t collect as much data as other observers, but if we’re the only ones doing it then it is SO worth it.
Data Collection at the North Pole
My first time ever to the North Pole and the weather was gorgeous! It took several hours of searching with the helicopter to find a suitable spot a few miles from the pole itself, and Lauren had the luck to be along for the hour-long ride.
After enjoying the sunshine and scenery we get down to work, measuring the dimensions and salinity of two ponds. This all went surprisingly well for a first attempt and we learned enough to know what we want to measure next time and how we will include guests in the process.
Sailing to the North Pole is an expedition cruise like no other. It was a special experience, more so than I expected, and I’m really happy that the science went well too! I’ll be back three more times this summer and I can’t wait.
Our project (http://ift.tt/1fhaoiZ) to measure sea ice thickness in the Arctic Ocean this summer has been honoured by the award of an Explorers Club flag. Club flags have been carried to both poles, to the summit of Everest and to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Thor Heyerdahl proudly flew one from the mast of Kon Tiki, having planned the trip at the club’s NYC headquarters and they’ve been carried into space and on the surface of the moon.
It’s a great honour for our project to be recognised in this way, and given the flag may have been on many expeditions in the past it is a reminder that the work we do builds on the work of those that have gone before, following in the western tradition of scientific enquiry and standing on the shoulders of giants. Without traditions we are always starting from scratch.
While breaking ice this summer we will be recording sea ice thickness and extent, and melt pond distribution, depth and salinity. We’ll be providing these data to a number of scientific institutions in the United States, and it’s really exciting to be part of a ‘citizen science’ project.
Check out the video, and if you’re really interested in helping then go to:
