I haven’t really written any general comments about the trip, so here goes. The trip has been great., all that I’d hoped for. Virtually everyone on the ship wants to be here from the captain and his crew to the scientists, and their tech support people. It makes for a terrific dynamic. The crew work very closely with the scientists, knowing that science is largely the mission of the Healy. Everyone works very hard. This is hands-on science, and the scientists are out on the fantail, working on equipment, often bare-handed in cold and wet weather, night and day, along with the crew. Equipment deployment is carefully coordinated with the bridge, with the Bosin, winch operators and other crew members, technicians, and the scientists. All are present during the deployments. Deployments are also watched on monitors in the science lab, on the bridge and in other locations. Other work goes on night and day in the labs.
Many of the scientists and the tech people work complicated schedules, 12 am to 12 pm, 2 am – 2 pm, etc., so overlaps are sometimes brief. Meals are on a fixed schedule with breakfast from 0645 – 0745, lunch from 1100 – 1200, dinner from 1700-1800 and midrats (from midnight rations) from 2330 to 00:30. The food is very good and abundant, and the cooks work hard to vary the menu. Food is served cafeteria style, and everyone eats at the same mess.
The sun isn’t getting much over 20 degrees over the horizon. As we go north in the ice, it will disappear entirely and we’ll be in 24 hour darkness.
I’ll continue with the writing in future posts. In the next day or so, we will go out of internet range so my posts will have fewer and lower resolution images that will be posted via the ship’s email to one of my sons. Last, we were fortunate to be way north of the megastorm that hit the Bering Sea over the last couple of days.
Map of the science stations where the science work is done. The bottom of the map starts above Utqiagvik at the top of Alaska (shown in Gray); the top is the North Pole. Our trip started over 700 miles south of Utqiagvik, Alaska in Dutch Harbor far out in the Aleutians.
September 13 & 14
We saw our first bands of ice. I’m posting two more photographs from Day 12.
A sea star remaining after the mud from the bottom was collected and hosed away,
The Multi-net being retrieved. Its nets are opened at different depths
September 15
We’re back in opens seas, I’m posting a seascape and an abstract image that includes one of the equipment lines in the water.
The Arctic Ocean early in the morning.
Abstract seascape with the winch line in the water.
September 16
Though we passed through a bit of ice a couple of days ago, this morning, we went through several bands of ice and for the first time, the Healy pushed through. It was exciting and beautiful to see. Later, we turned east to get back to the track for the science track, but soon, we will be in multiyear ice. The sun is now very low in the sky, not going above about 20 degrees above the horizon. It makes for beautiful light when there is sun. The temperature is getting lower, too. This morning, September 17, it’s 21 degrees F. with 20 kt/hour wind.
