ITP54 Deployment Operations

The day after the deployment of an Ice-Based Observatory (IBO) including ITP 52 (and only 2 days after the deployment of ITP 53), a second IBO consisting of seven different buoys (including ITP 54) measuring different environmental parameters was to be deployed. In order to accommodate the many systems, a relatively large diameter floe was needed. A helicopter reconnaissance was conducted in the morning, and after about 45 minutes of searching, a floe approximately 200 m in diameter was selected for landing. Drill sites measured between 2.7 and 4.5 m thick, so the site was acceptable, and the ship was brought nearby.

Over the next 6 hours, all seven buoys were deployed by several teams while ice measurements were taken by other scientists. Simultaneously 4 drifters were deployed by helicopter in a 10 km array around the floe. Towards the end of the deployment, fog arrived again, as it had during the previous day’s deployment operations.

More information and photos on the deployment operations conducted during the IBO deployment are also available at: https://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=74276.

A portion of the sling loads for the IBO deployment are staged on the helicopter deck. (Mary-Louise Timmermans)

The ITP foam and anchored are delivered to the ice by the helicopter. (Rick Krishfield)

Jeff Pietro and John Kemp begin augering the 14” diameter hole for the AOFB using a hydraulic earth drill. (Mary-Louise Timmermans)

Meanwhile, Mike Dempsey and Steve Lambert assemble the IMB buoy. (Mary-Louise Timmermans)

AOFB installed. Kemp, Gary Morgan and Pietro begin disassembling and moving the tripod to the ITP site. (Mary-Louise Timmermans)

Having drilled the hole through the 2.2 m ice floe for the ITP, Pietro and Morgan dissemble the auger flights. (Mary-Louise Timmermans)

Lowering the ITP anchor. (Mary-Louise Timmermans)

The ITP profiler is suspended form the tripod while the first inductive modem test is conducted to ensured that the circuit functions before lowering the instrument into the water. (Mary-Louise Timmermans)

Barney Noseworthy observes the Microcat mounted just below the potted section of cable on the ITP tether just before it is lowered into the ocean. (Rick Krishfield)

The final ITP inductive modem test is conducted by Rick Krishfield. (Gary Morgan)

Finally, the three Ice Beacons are deployed by Mary-Louise Timmermans, Pietro, and Kemp. (Steve Lambert)

The distribution of the buoys on the floe, ice thickness and freeboard measurements at the buoy sites of the second IBO deployed during JOIS 2011. (Rick Krishfield)