Heavy ice, adjusted route and a new station
Our teaching fellow Anna Stiby (Nacka gymnasium) follows the researchers' work on board and is happy to help as a polar bear guard during our ice stations. To the right, Oden's cranes are used to lift both researchers and equipment on the ice. Photo: Sven Lidström
Arctic Ocean, Thursday evening 2 September, N85°26 W35°25
We have a westerly wind of 2.5 m/s and it is about -1 °C. The last CTD of the evening has come out of the water and Oden is heading south towards tomorrow's station where new exciting research and sampling awaits. Among other things, we will have another ice station next to Oden and also pick up more sediment with the box corer.
Due to very strong ice further west, our expedition route has now ended up a little more easterly than planned. So now we plan to reach the continental shelf north of Greenland on Saturday for a new 24-hour station when we, for example, will fish again with our big net, "The Beam".
The actual route with completed and planned stations
- After a journey of eight days, the ice edge was reached north of Svalbard on 2 August when the first station was completed. It was also there that we aimed the first polar bear.
- The ten yellow letter stations represent our 24-hour ice stations where extensive sampling has been carried out for at least one day. The route has been adjusted during the journey depending on the ice situation and station Q (Q = question mark) has been added.
- It was long uncertain whether we would be able to get to the originally planned station near Greenland, but now we hope to reach the new Q on Saturday.
- Between the 24-hour stations, shorter stations have been added. For example, CTD sampling, smaller ice stations, net sampling and sampling with the box corer.
Text: Maria Samuelsson
