Less than two days after departing from Longyearbyen, we
reached the marginal ice zone (MIZ), where the first small bits of sea ice
appear in the water. Being at sea, on such a large ship, is full of noises. The
Oden, being an icebreaker, isn’t
designed for open water. So the first leg of our journey was full of sound and
movement as the ship swayed back and forth, vibrating as it crashed through
waves. Along with the gentle swaying, the ship tends to sing – the noises were
curiously in tune, like an ethereal orchestra accompanying our expedition.
But once we reached even the first bit of ice, the sound and
movement suddenly changed. The rocking stopped, the ship was much steadier
surrounded by ice, and all of a sudden it was much quieter. At this point,
experiencing such a drastic change, and looking outside to see ice moving all
around us, it was very clear that we were now in the Arctic.
We paused in the MIZ for a 24 hour intensive sampling
period. This was very busy as everyone was working hard to run instruments and
conduct experiments only two days into the campaign. But this station was
essential – in order to establish a reference, in an area with open water and
some sea ice, to compare to our measurements once we got deep into the pack
ice. Sea ice defines the uniqueness of the Arctic environment – impacting the
ocean and atmosphere physics, biology, chemistry, and meteorology.
As our science commenced, the novelty of our environment was
never lost to me, that we are in the Arctic Ocean, surrounded by sea ice,
looking out over a landscape that could be another world.
- Rachel Kirpes, Pratt Lab PhD student on the Oden!
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