Start a new scientific season on the ice
For two weeks, scientific projects have been getting real! Instruments and a lot of equipment are constantly arriving. Already three small planes were chartered by Takuvik for GreenEdge program, only to carry cargo from Quebec. Canada Post and scheduled flights to Qikiqtarjuaq are also very much used. Thus came two new snowmobiles, that needed to be prepared and broke in; here are four in total for GreenEdge.
We welcomed the first team on March 15th: Flavienne, CJ, Guislain, José and Jean-Jacques. Time to meet everyone and to set up in the little town, we were heading to the ice camp, 30 minutes south of Broughton Island by snowmobile. First the main hole, made using an auger, then a solid floor all around, and then a large tent on top. Then delivering a cabin to the site, installing heaters and a complete power network... The base camp is in the village of Qikiqtarjuaq. As well as the laboratory, which is no other than the Inuksuit school, beautiful, available for GreenEdge researchers, which also develop an educational program throughout the mission.
A few days earlier, came our inseparable icemeter (EM31) that was sent by Christian Haas from Toronto. Just in time to do some tests and then measure the thickness of sea ice in the area, especially in the area chosen for GreenEdge ice camp. Finally, the distance criteria from the coast, sea ice state, access and water depth took us to the same location than last year.
The day before the arrival of the first team, during a nice and long family day on the ice, the weather mast was installed, with its thirty temperature sensors (from air to sea via snow and ice), at the exact same place than in 2014.
Saturday, I drilled a hole not too far from Vagabond, in a quite thin ice area (50cm), to deploy an Oceanetic buoy from Fisheries and Oceans for Ocean Networks Canada (see the buoy live data).
Sunday, with the whole team, we rode a small summit south of Broughton Island. Like last year, a camera will monitor the melting and breaking-up period, every half hour until August (timelapse). The ice camp is in the middle of the picture!
v The sea ice around Vagabond now exceeds one meter thick, slightly less that a year ago at the same time. Luckily for the team setting up the ice camp, temperatures are 15 to 20°C higher since mid-March!
