Skip to content

Dispatch 27: Our Final Day on the Louis

Ashley Arroyo (Yale University)

September 25, 2024
19:10 UTC, 68.57°N 106.53°W

Conditions:

  • Foggy with drizzle
  • 0% sea ice cover
  • 6°C
  • Winds 22.9 knots easterly
  • Sunrise: 24-Sep-2024 06:55:30 -06
  • Sunset: 24-Sep-2024 19:03:02 -06
  • Day length: 12h 7mn 32s

Today is our last full day on the Louis! As the science team wraps up last-minute packing and cleaning, we also prepare for our departure from the Louis after breakfast tomorrow. During our final science meeting this morning, the ice/weather specialist Alexandra Cournoyer forecasted cloudy and foggy conditions for tomorrow. Given the weather, it is likely that we will disembark from the Louis by barge instead of by helicopter. We are hopeful that our departure will go smoothly, and all science and Coast Guard members will be able to return home Thursday/Friday!

Overall, the 2024 Joint Ocean Ice Study /Beaufort Gyre Observing System (JOIS/BGOS) expedition was a huge success. In total, the science team completed 61 CTD rosette casts, and 45 bongo net tows. The team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) recovered and re-deployed 3 deep moorings (BGOS A, B, and D) in addition to recovering another AON (Arctic Observing Network) Mooring, BS-3. Several buoys were also deployed, including 4 Tethered-Ocean Profilers (TOPs), 2 Ice-Tethered Profilers (ITPs), 2 Seasonal Ice Mass Balance buoys (SIMBs), and an Arctic Ocean Flux Buoy (AOFB). We also recovered buoys ITP 136 and TOP6, which will be refurbished back at WHOI and re-deployed in the Arctic Ocean in the future. The science team also deployed and recovered microglider “Mike” that spent 18 days collecting data in the Beaufort Gyre. Additionally, Chief Scientist Paul Macoun oversaw the deployment of several other buoys, including two Argo floats and several MetOcean met buoys. The accomplishments of this years’ expedition could not have been possible without the wonderful Canadian Coast Guard crew led by Captain Briggs, so a huge thank you goes out to them! Thank you for following us along on our journey in the Beaufort Gyre this year! Check out the photos to see some highlights of our expedition.

Signing off,

Ashley 😊

 

 

Science members Mark Belton, Paige Hagel, Sarah Zimmermann, and Mackenzie Mueller on the ice day (Photo by Mark Belton)
Science members Mark Belton, Paige Hagel, Sarah Zimmermann, and Mackenzie Mueller on the ice day (Photo by Mark Belton)
Mary-Louse Timmermans and Jeff O’Brien lowered to the ice to begin the ice survey (Photo by Paul Macoun)
Mary-Louse Timmermans and Jeff O’Brien lowered to the ice to begin the ice survey (Photo by Paul Macoun)
Our polar bear sighting! (Photo by Marty Davelaar)
Our polar bear sighting! (Photo by Marty Davelaar)
The Louis on the Ice Day (Photo by Paul Macoun’s drone)
The Louis on the Ice Day (Photo by Paul Macoun’s drone)
Captain and crew members on the ice (Photo by Gary Morgan)
Captain and crew members on the ice (Photo by Gary Morgan)
Jerome Sibley using the ATV to transport equipment to buoy sites (Photo by Gary Morgan)
Jerome Sibley using the ATV to transport equipment to buoy sites (Photo by Gary Morgan)
Chief Scientist Paul Macoun and Ashley Arroyo carrying the SIMB to its site (Photo by Gary Morgan)
Chief Scientist Paul Macoun and Ashley Arroyo carrying the SIMB to its site (Photo by Gary Morgan)
Scientists and crew return to the ship after a day on the ice (Photo by Gary Morgan)
Scientists and crew return to the ship after a day on the ice (Photo by Gary Morgan)