ITP 22 Deployment Operations

While the two previous ITPs on the JOIS cruise (21 and 23) were deployed on the way north along the 150° longitude line, ITP 22 was the first deployed on the way south along the 140° line, and was the northernmost ITP deployed from the Louis in 2008. The conditions were basically the same as the previous deployments, variable low ceiling and fog. On helicopter reconnaissance, a sturdy-looking ice floe was drilled for thickness (3.52 m), and immediately selected. During the deployment two hours later, it was more difficult to drill the 10.5 inch diameter hole through the last bit because of the drag on the auger blade at the slush ice interface. The deployment took about 2 hours total, and test communications with the profiler from the surface package were normal. In a separate operation, SIMBA-C was installed nearby on the same floe several hours after the ITP was deployed.

As soon as the ice drilling for the deployment began, a curious seal popped up in the lead next to the floe. (Photo by Rick Krishfield)

Rick Krishfield and Jim Dunn are nearly through the 3.5 m thick icefloe. Several extension on the 10" diameter auger and the slushy ice bottom make the finish difficult, so the chainfall is connected to take up the weight as needed. (Photo by Gary Morgan)

Will Ostrom and Dunn unspool the jacketed ITP wire through the ice hole. (Photo by Rick Krishfield)

Dunn and Ostrom attach the inductive modem grounding plate to the conductors embedded in the ITP tether. (Photo by Chris Swannell)

The deployment crew for ITP 22: Krishfield, Dunn, Gary Morgan, and Ostrom in front.

After the ITP is installed, the ice party gets blown by a light snow squall created by the helicopter landing. (Photo by Gary Morgan)