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Dispatch 14: Two weeks on the Louis!

Jennifer Kosty (Yale University)

October 2, 2025
18:00 local, 77.17◦N, 150.49◦W

Conditions:

  • Cloudy, windy
  • 90% sea ice cover
  • -8◦C
  • Sunrise: 2-Oct-2025 10:45
  • Sunset: 2-Oct-2025 20:55
  • Day length: 10 hours, 10 minutes

It’s officially been two weeks since we boarded the Louis in Cambridge Bay! In that time, we’ve traveled nearly 2200 miles, recovered and redeployed two moorings, recovered three buoys, and completed 25 CTD rosette casts. We still have another three weeks on board and are excited for the science work to continue!

We had a relatively quiet morning today, with the on-board analysts continuing to process samples that were collected yesterday on the RS line. During the daily science meeting, ice specialist Kyle McDougall warned us about the harsh weather we will be facing as we continue our northward trek. Today’s conditions were already fairly challenging, with limited visibility, a wind chill of -18◦C, and wind speeds exceeding 40 knots. After the weather briefing, Michiharu Shibata gave a brief presentation about Mirai II, Japan’s first Arctic research vessel with icebreaking capabilities. Michiharu discussed the laboratory spaces and research equipment that will be on board Mirai II, and its planned Arctic expeditions. Afterwards, we enjoyed a lunch of Cod au gratin (a traditional Newfoundland dish), roasted squash, chicken caesar wraps, and waffle fries.

We arrived at CB-8 around 1 pm, where the day watch completed another 3800 m CTD rosette cast. The ice pack made this cast more challenging, as we had to constantly monitor the CTD rosette wire to ensure that no large ice chucks collided with it. We paused the cast several times, bringing the wire close to the ship, to avoid such collisions. By 4:15 pm, the rosette was safely back on board, and we began the hour-long sampling process.

Tonight, we are steaming towards CB-10, where the night watch will complete another CTD rosette cast early tomorrow morning. We then plan to head towards the site of Mooring B, where we will complete our third and final mooring recovery!

 

Figure 1: The most recent sea ice concentration map for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas (Source: https://data.seaice.uni-bremen.de/databrowser/).
Figure 1: The most recent sea ice concentration map for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas (Source: https://data.seaice.uni-bremen.de/databrowser/).
Figure 2: Map showing our current location along the planned 2025 cruise track.
Figure 2: Map showing our current location along the planned 2025 cruise track.
Photo 1: The ship’s bubbler clearing a hole in the ice for the CTD rosette cast at CB-8.
Photo 1: The ship’s bubbler clearing a hole in the ice for the CTD rosette cast at CB-8.
Photo 2: Annabel Payne posing prior to the CTD rosette cast at CB-8.
Photo 2: Annabel Payne posing prior to the CTD rosette cast at CB-8.
Photo 3: Céline Guéguen attaching the “chummy” to the CTD rosette wire. The chummy blows excess water off the wire as it is reeled in, preventing ice from building up on the wire block. Photo by Annabel Payne.
Photo 3: Céline Guéguen attaching the “chummy” to the CTD rosette wire. The chummy blows excess water off the wire as it is reeled in, preventing ice from building up on the wire block. Photo by Annabel Payne.
Photo 4: Yuanxin Zhang (left) and Andrew Ross (right) filtering and processing samples in the chlorophyll lab.
Photo 4: Yuanxin Zhang (left) and Andrew Ross (right) filtering and processing samples in the chlorophyll lab.
Photo 5: Michiharu Shibata giving a presentation about Mirai II, Japan’s first Arctic research vessel with icebreaking capabilities, during the daily science meeting.
Photo 5: Michiharu Shibata giving a presentation about Mirai II, Japan’s first Arctic research vessel with icebreaking capabilities, during the daily science meeting.
Photo 6: Happy Birthday to Magali Pucet! The kitchen prepared a beautiful cake for Magali which we all enjoyed at lunch. (left to right: Annabel Payne, Magali Pucet, Andrew Ross, Dominique Baker, Marguerite Larriere).
Photo 6: Happy Birthday to Magali Pucet! The kitchen prepared a beautiful cake for Magali which we all enjoyed at lunch. (left to right: Annabel Payne, Magali Pucet, Andrew Ross, Dominique Baker, Marguerite Larriere).