Skip to content

Dispatch 6: Recovery of TOP12 and ITP142

Jennifer Kosty (Yale University)

September 24, 2025
14:00 local, 73.14◦N, 134.26◦W

Conditions:

  • Flurries
  • 20% sea ice cover
  • -1◦C
  • Sunrise: 24-Sept-2025 08:47
  • Sunset: 24-Sept-2025 20:48
  • Day length: 12 hours, 1 minute

Today, we recovered two ocean profilers (TOP12 and ITP142) that were deployed last year on the 2024 BGOS/JOIS expedition. TOP12, a tethered ocean profiler, was recovered around 8:30 this morning, while ITP142, an ice tethered profiler, was recovered just after noon. Both systems include (1) a surface instrument package which sits atop an ice floe or floats in the water, and (2) an instrumented profiler that climbs up and down an attached wire, returning depth profiles of temperature and salinity as the system drifts. The surface package transmits the profiler data and the system’s position to the WHOI servers via satellite, allowing us to track the profilers after they’ve been deployed. TOP12 and ITP142 happened to be drifting near our planned cruise track, so we were excited at the opportunity to recover them since the systems were running low on battery.

The BGOS team (Jeff O’Brien, Tim McDonough, Jim Ryder, and Cory Beatty) worked with the Louis’ deck crew to recover both profilers. The recovery process started with deckhand Jerome Sibley being lowered towards the profiler in the man-basket and clipping its surface buoy into the winch. The surface buoy and profiling unit were then winched onto the ship under the supervision of boatswain Rico Amamio, a process that took around an hour for each profiler.

The recovery of TOP12 is especially exciting given its unusual journey over the past year. After its deployment in September 2024, we lost communication with TOP12 in March, potentially due to a large rafting event which could have trapped the surface buoy beneath another ice floe. Although initially believed to be lost forever, TOP12 resumed transmitting its location data earlier this month, reappearing approximately 600 km from where it first disappeared. Remarkably, TOP12 continued profiling during this 6-month period, and we were able to determine the locations of these profiles given TOP12’s co-positioning with ITP142. Upon recovery, we were thrilled to discover that TOP12 suffered minimal damages, so the system can likely be redeployed in the future!

We are currently steaming towards CB-22, where the day watch will complete a 3100 m CTD rosette cast this evening. Tomorrow morning, the excitement continues as we plan to recover our first mooring!

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.
Figure 3: Map showing the positions and drift tracks (over the past 90 days) of the active ITP and TOP profilers. Figure courtesy of Jeff O’Brien.
Figure 3: Map showing the positions and drift tracks (over the past 90 days) of the active ITP and TOP profilers. Figure courtesy of Jeff O’Brien.
Photo 1: On the lookout for TOP12… Photo by Marguerite Larriere.
Photo 1: On the lookout for TOP12… Photo by Marguerite Larriere.
Photo 2: Deckhand Jerome Sibley preparing to recover TOP12 from the man-basket. Photo by Paul Macoun.
Photo 2: Deckhand Jerome Sibley preparing to recover TOP12 from the man-basket. Photo by Paul Macoun.
Photo 3: Boatswain Rico Amamio (right) and WHOI technician Jim Ryder (left) bringing ITP142 back on board the Louis. Photo by Jeff O’Brien.
Photo 3: Boatswain Rico Amamio (right) and WHOI technician Jim Ryder (left) bringing ITP142 back on board the Louis. Photo by Jeff O’Brien.
Photo 4: The profiling unit from TOP12. TOP12 has retractable fins which are required for profilers with velocity sensors. Photo by Jeff O’Brien.
Photo 4: The profiling unit from TOP12. TOP12 has retractable fins which are required for profilers with velocity sensors. Photo by Jeff O’Brien.
Photo 5: Happy Birthday to Marguerite Larriere! The kitchen made Marguerite a special birthday cupcake to help her celebrate. Photo by Annabel Payne.
Photo 5: Happy Birthday to Marguerite Larriere! The kitchen made Marguerite a special birthday cupcake to help her celebrate. Photo by Annabel Payne.