Glaciology Campaign at the Coast
Follow Dr. Katherine Leonard and the team on their two weeks' campaign at the coast to take ocean depth measurements. Between December 2nd and 8th, the team led by Alain Hubert took 10 measurements over a distance of more than 150km along the coast. The expedition was a huge success despite the sometimes poor weather.
-
The convoy is heading for the coast for the BELISSIMA measurements campaign
© International Polar Foundation
-
Checking the solidity of the ice before setting up base camp
© International Polar Foundation
-
Mobile camp at the coast
© International Polar Foundation
-
We use ski-doos to take several measurements in the vicinity of the base camp
© International Polar Foundation
-
The first step is to drill a hole through the ice using a shovel to remove the snow and a drill to cut through the ice
© International Polar Foundation
-
Drilling through the ice
© International Polar Foundation
-
First, we measure the depth with the fishfinder
© International Polar Foundation
-
The CTD profiler we use to measure conductivity, temperature and depth is attached to a tripod and ready to go
© International Polar Foundation
-
The CTD profiler is then lowered through the hole
© International Polar Foundation
-
Kristof manoeuvering the winch. We sometimes reached a depth of 820m below the ice
© International Polar Foundation
-
Katie bringing the CTD profiler back up after its plunge
© International Polar Foundation
-
Katie downloading the collected data onto the computer
© International Polar Foundation
-
When moving on ice, the terrain can be quite treacherous
© International Polar Foundation
-
You have to pay attention to crevasses large enough for a ski-doo to disappear in
© International Polar Foundation
-
If you pay attention to the differences in color, you can spot crevasses, even when in poor weather
© International Polar Foundation
-
When encountering leads (small rifts of open water), the quality of the ice has to be checked before crossing
© International Polar Foundation
-
Back to base camp after a day on the ice
© International Polar Foundation
-
Every couple of days, we establish a new base camp to take measurements in another area
© International Polar Foundation
-
Katie taking CTD measurements near the camp
© International Polar Foundation
-
During those few days, the weather could be nice and sunny
© International Polar Foundation
-
But we did have white-outs. This is when you understand why we mark out the route with flags
© International Polar Foundation
-
Crossing a blue ice field on a ski-doo is a magical moment
© International Polar Foundation
-
Great colors
© International Polar Foundation
-
The team admiring the landscape with a warm cup of tea from the top of a cliff
© International Polar Foundation
-
Time for a short night before getting up at 7AM for another day of work
© International Polar Foundation
-
Time to get back to work. Measuring depth with the fishfinder
© International Polar Foundation
-
When nature provides a lead, you don't have to drill a hole to take measurements
© International Polar Foundation
-
Measurements taken on a cold day
© International Polar Foundation
-
Penguins are watching us...
© International Polar Foundation
-
Olivier and Pierre filmed the whole adventure and lent a hand when needed
© International Polar Foundation
-
The instruments had to be cleaned after each use
© International Polar Foundation
-
On the way back, we stopped at Crown Bay to prepare the ramp for the offloading of the ship that will arrive around Christmas
© International Polar Foundation
-
Back home, at last
© International Polar Foundation
