ALTEX Arctic Cruise
October 7 - November 7, 2001
Tromso, Norway to the Arctic Circle
Logbook
October 31, 2001: Day #25
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Mike Pinto writes: Currently we are continuing to track the warm Atlantic layer current by conducting a lower latitude transect consisting of eleven CTD casts. The CTD work should be completed by early Thursday morning.
Some good news on the ice buoy heating problem. Armen was able to clean the lithium pellets of the oil residue that prevented the pellet from reacting with the seawater. Using a toothbrush and dilute hydrogen peroxide, he was able to scrub the surface of the pellet, add acid and start the reaction. The process was tried on some pellets that had failed to react previously and these treated pellets now work!! Now there’s a possibility that we can conduct a full-fledged test with the AUV and buoy launch section under the ice before we return to Tromso.
Earlier in the evening, Dr. Son Nghiem of JPL gave a seminar to the crew and science party of the work his team is doing developing remote sensing of ice conditions via specialized satellite sensors. His work may lead to better understanding of the earth’s heat transfer mechanisms and better climate modeling.
