Every trip to Utqiagvik, Alaska was build upon the previous trip. The focus: sea ice,
and how it impacts the Earth's climate. Rhett Herman, Ph.D., and his student researchers
have used a variety of equipment to test theories, answer questions and develop new
approaches to studying the arctic and its influence. Check out the gallery below to
learn more about the past trips and what the teams learned and encountered in their
adventures.
2016 Research
The research for the 2016 expedition is an evolution of what has come before. This
research is a contributor to the methodology of studying the thermal balance of our
planet. The goal of this trip is to investigate parts of the thermal balance and properties
of the arctic sea ice, and to develop a methodology for such studies.
The 2016 Arctic Geophysics trip, much like years past, brings together students from
a variety of majors as they conduct research in one of the frostiest and most unpleasant
climates in the world.
The purpose of the 2014 trip was to investigate a possible correlation between the
surface temperature of arctic sea ice and the thickness of the sea ice.
On a trip in 2012, data collected suggested these quantities were correlated. Unfortunately, there
was not enough data collected to statistically prove the correlation. The 2014 trip
focused on collecting both thermal and resistivity data that will be correlated to
data collected by drilling into the sea ice.
In order to determine the total volume of the north polar sea ice cap the researchers
needed to collect sea ice thickness data. Pairing the thickness of the sea ice with
already established knowledge of the surface area allows for the volumetric calculation
of the sea ice. Knowledge of the volume of the sea ice will allow a more accurate
assessment of the extent of the ice and rate at which it is melting.
Current methods of determining thickness are time consuming and often cover only small
areas. The bottom of the sea ice isn't smooth which further complicates the ability
to accurately measure the thickness.
If the team can establish a strong correlation between surface temperature and sea
ice thickness, then they will be able to state that a specific surface temperature
indicates a specific thickness. By using current thermal instrumentation, the research
team hoped to confirm this correlation.
The team worked to investigate this correlation by deploying a custom thermal infrared
sensor that has been developed, built, tested, and redesigned based on student input
from previous trips. The sensor will be used on the surface of the sea ice simultaneously
with an electrical resistivity array, which measures how well an electrical signal
is transmitted through different materials.
Specialized software uses the surface resistivity data to build a cross-sectional
image of the electrical properties of the ice. The depth of the ice is determined
where the electrical properties of the ice yield to those of the water.
While the software can make a reasonable approximation of this ice/water boundary,
it is still a model, and thus requires drilling in a statistically-significant number
of locations to make an exact determination of that boundary. Therefore the drilling
is the key component that ties the resistivity readings to the actual sea ice thickness,
which is then correlated with the surface temperature. The researchers also explored
other methods of obtaining sea ice surface temperatures to extend the current methods.
Clicking the buttons in this list will open the gallery
lightbox.
