Baffin Bay 2011-2014

Pictures summer 2011

Pictures winter 2011-12

Pictures survey May 2012

Pictures summer 2012

Pictures winter 2012-13

The crew:
- Eric
- France
- Léonie (5 years old)
- Aurore (2 years old)

Departure from Brest on May 13th 2011 for three or four years...

Summer 2011:

Scientific programs in West Greenland (bioacoustic studies on walruses, IPEV) and in Nunavut, Canada (arctic oceanography, University of Alberta). Click on pictures to see Vagabond's route from Brittany, and more detailed route of "Ice and Ocean cruise" from August 6th to 20th 2011, from Qaanaaq (Thule, Greenland), to Grise Fiord (Nunavut, Canada), lead by Christian Haas.

See summer 2011 route with GoogleEarth.

October 2011 - July 2012:

Overwintering in South Cape Fiord (76°26.86'N - 84°41.00'W), near the village of Grise Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada.

Overwinter scientific program:

- glaciology, for Christian Haas, professor of sea ice geophysics at University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada): sea ice growth follow up with an electromagnetic icemeter (EM31 by Geonics) - read also here;

- oceanography, for Humfrey Melling, Research Scientist at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney (British Columbia, Canada): measure of salinity and temperature of the fjord with a CTD, - read here;

- radar images applications, SIDARUS project - read here.

Overwinter education project:

- Ice sentries, a project organized by Délires d'encre, CNES and Sicoval (Toulouse).

Summer 2012:

Scientific programs in West Greenland:

- VOLCABASIN: this geological and geophysical scientific expedition aims at the understanding of the structure and development of a particular volcano-tectonic structure (inner-SDR of Eocene age) located in the Svartenhuk area (north of Uummanaq Bay). Studying this object should help to better understand the mechanisms of plate break-up over a thermal anomaly within the Earth mantle. This study involve 11 scientists, two boats, including Vagabond, as well as a helicopter. Expedition leader: Laurent Geoffroy, geologist, professor at Brest University (France). ;

- BATHY MELVILLE: in unknown area in Melville Bay (0-1000m depth), North-West of Greenland, the aim is to detect major holes in the seabed, offshore main glaciers, and to do soundings and ocean measurements (CTD), by getting close to the glaciers to see the water vertical structure evolution on continental shelf. Leader: Eric Rignot, Senior Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena (Nasa), and Professor of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine (USA).

September 2012 - July 2013:

Overwintering in Grise Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada.

Overwinter scientific program: follow-up to glaciology and oceanography measurements started in 2011.

Weather and ice info:

Position and weather (Météo France beacon on board - read also here)

Greenland ice charts (Danish Meteorological Institute)

Canadian ice charts (Environnement Canada)

Smith Sound ice chart (Bremen University)

Weather in Greenland (Danish Meteorological Institute)

Weather at Grise Fiord (Environnement Canada)

Marine Weather Grise Fiord (Environnement Canada)