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Operation IceBridge - Arctic Spring 2014

Started by Jim Hunt, March 11, 2014, 07:51:04 PM

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Jim Hunt

Following last year's operation in the Arctic, NASA's IceBridge team are currently getting ready for the 2014 Arctic campaign:

http://blogs.nasa.gov/icebridge/2014/03/11/icebridge-readies/

QuoteThe engineering check flight took place on the morning of Mar. 6. On this flight, P-3 pilots and crew put the aircraft through its paces to make sure things are in proper working order. Later in the day, the P-3 took off again for the first project check flight, and flew along beaches on the Atlantic coast to test the aircraft's GPS gear and the Airborne Topographic Mapper instrument.

The next afternoon the IceBridge team took off again for the second project check flight to test the various radar instruments aboard the P-3. To carry this out the team flew south from Wallops and turned out to sea around Virginia Beach, heading for open water. The relatively flat surface of the Atlantic Ocean acts almost as a mirror for the radars, providing a good test environment. Also, by flying far off the coast, the team can test radars without the risk of interfering with electronics on the ground.

After completing these check flights, the team set out to pack their bags and rest before the flight to Greenland. Once leaving Wallops, the P-3 and the IceBridge team will spend the next 11 weeks in the Arctic, collecting valuable sea and land ice data before returning to the United States on May 23.
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ghoti


Jim Hunt

"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

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jdallen

Interesting that one of their first passes will be to look at the approaches to the Fram gap.
This space for Rent.

Jim Hunt

#4
A few photos from today's IceBridge mission. The first two are courtesy of Christy Hansen of NASA, via Facebook. The final "moon shot" over Greenland is by Michael Studinger/NASA:

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Jim Hunt

The flight plan for today. see above for live tracking:
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Andreas T

Thank you Jim for these great photos, which glacier is that in the first shot?

Jim Hunt

Quote from: Andreas T on March 13, 2014, 08:47:24 PM
Thank you Jim for these great photos, which glacier is that in the first shot?

Thank the NASA IceBridge team Andreas, not me. I merely pressed ^C/^V!

The best I can suggest is to try work the glacier out from yesterday's flight path. As far as I know NASA haven't revealed the answer to your question.
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Jim Hunt

Today's flight plan. "The [Seymour] Laxon Line"

According to the NASA IceBridge Facebook page:

QuoteWe're going to Fairbanks today via the Sea Ice - Laxon Line route. The team will remain in Fairbanks for 1 week to reach our northern most sea ice science targets.
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Jim Hunt

An Operation IceBridge news update from NASA:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/icebridge/news/spr14/index.html

Also another photo - Flying over the Brook's Range in transit to Fairbanks. Photo Credit: NASA/Christy Hansen
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sidd

please:how high are the hills in the picture of the Brooks range

Jim Hunt

I'm afraid I've no idea exactly where that picture was taken sidd. According to Wikipedia:

QuoteReaching an elevation exceeeding 2,700 m (9,000 ft), the range is believed to be approximately 126 million years old.
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Jim Hunt

Today's flight plan, over the Beaufort Sea:

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Jim Hunt

#13
A close up of the Beaufort Sea from the IceBridge P-3. Photo Credit: NASA/Christy Hansen
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Jim Hunt

Today's flight plan, via Facebook.

QuoteThe North Beaufort Loop - with Barrow option. 5-6 passes over a ground site off the coast of Barrow as well.
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Jim Hunt

It seems it was cold and sunny in Fairbanks yesterday. Photo credit: Michael Studinger/NASA:
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Jim Hunt

Today's flight plan, via Facebook.

QuoteEast Beaufort. The IceBridge team will also be coordinating an overflight of a scientific camp run by the European Space Agency's CryoVex project and the Office of Naval Research.
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Jim Hunt

The eastern side of the Brooks Range in Canada's Yukon territory seen during yesterday's descent into the survey area over sea ice in the eastern Beaufort Sea. Photo credit: Michael Studinger/NASA.
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Jim Hunt

Today's flight plan, via Facebook

QuoteIceBridge will fly the mission Beaufort-Chukchi Diamond today. Light snow in Fairbanks this morning.
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Jim Hunt

The IceBridge P-3 is already airborne. Here's the plan for today:

QuoteIceBridge will return to Thule collecting data along the South Basin route. Takeoff was at 01:00 am Fairbanks time. We will land in Thule at 3 pm in the afternoon. A good part of the flight will be in darkness at high altitude often with beautiful views of the Aurora Borealis.
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Jim Hunt

#20
Here's a report by Michael Studinger, Mission Scientist for Operation Icebridge, on the European Space Agency's "Campaigns at Work" blog. Amongst other things he describes IceBridge's contribution to the ESA's CryoVex campaign:

http://blogs.esa.int/campaignearth/2014/03/20/cryovex-nasas-icebridge-supports-esas-arctic-campaign/


Here's an image from Michael's post, showing sea ice concentration in the Beaufort Sea:



QuoteToday's flight [March 18th] is a new mission plan. It is designed to sample sea ice in the eastern Beaufort Sea in an area which lacked IceBridge coverage prior to 2013, which is also of priority interest to the Canadian Space Agency. We also overfly the CryoVEx/ONR Marginal Ice Zone Camp #2 with 9 overflights and a pass over the groomed skiway. The leg near Banks Island (EBC-EBD) was to survey the very thin ice which typically forms in this region.
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Jim Hunt

#21
Today's flight plan from Facebook.

The (Katharine) Giles Gateway:

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Jim Hunt

#22
Neven's just reminded me that I've missed an update or two, so here are the IceBridge flightplans for Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to the IceBridge page on Facebook today:

QuoteNo flight today. Blowing snow resulting in low visibility on the runway at Thule Air Base prevents us from taking off today. We are currently in storm condition "bravo" and have to use the "buddy system" to travel between buildings on base.

Chris Reynolds reports on the ASIB that:

QuoteThe IceBridge data portal is here: http://nsidc.org/icebridge/portal/

Large text files containing ice and snow thickness (and other data), with time date, and latitude/longitude of each sample are available here: http://nsidc.org/data/idcsi2

Unfortunately it seems that the IceBridge Portal is currently undergoing a bit of maintenance:

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Jim Hunt

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center mention Operation IceBridge (and IceSat) in this new video about "Measuring Elevation Changes on the Greenland Ice Sheet "

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S4T2Q8sBW8#

QuoteThere has been an average loss of 300 cubic kilometres of ice per year between 2003 and 2012
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Jim Hunt

Today the IceBridge team are taking a look at the CAA:

"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

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Jim Hunt

IceBridge will fly mission CryoVex Nord today, including several passes over the CryoVex camp on sea ice.

See also Neven's blog post regarding IceBridge, CryoVex and SMOS:

http://neven1.typepad.com/blog/2014/03/mission-possible.html
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Jim Hunt

#26
A couple more IceBridge flight plans. Tuesday was a complex operation over a variety of Ellesmere Island glaciers. After a stormy day on Wednesday Thursday's flight was a triangular flight over the North Canada Basin.

The IceBridge P-3 is en route to Kangerlussuaq today.
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Jim Hunt

The IceBridge P-3 is currently en route to East Greenland to overfly several glaciers:

"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

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Espen

And here is the instant flight tracker: http://airbornescience.nasa.gov/tracker/

Today they were in the Scoresbysund neighborhood.
Have a ice day!

Jim Hunt

They've returned with a pretty picture of the Nordenskjöld Glacier. Photo credit: Michael Studinger/NASA.
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Jim Hunt

Today's IceBridge mission has just begun, and involves "flying a series of coast parallel lines to measure outlet glaciers all along Greenland's southwest coast":
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

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Jim Hunt

#31
A new video from the IceBridge team in Kangerlussuaq:

http://youtu.be/iucS42mHn5Y

QuoteAccurate data is the only way to know what's happening on Earth, and why.
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Jim Hunt

Today's flight involves surveying the centerlines of several southeast Greenland glaciers:
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

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Espen

IceBridge in progress:
Have a ice day!

jdallen

Their attention to the glacial outflows of Greenland will be anxiously received.
This space for Rent.

Espen

From today's flight, one of the tallest icebergs ever seen:

 
Have a ice day!

lanevn

>>From today's flight, one of the tallest icebergs ever seen

Is it something for scale?

Jim Hunt

One we've all been waiting for? Today the IceBridge P-3 is checking out Jakobshavn in detail:

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Espen

Icebridge is visiting Jakobshavn on today's flight:
Have a ice day!

Espen

Images from yesterdays flight, courtesy of Nasa:

Have a ice day!

Jim Hunt

A "video postcard" from Greenland:

http://youtu.be/lgNrqBzBnPU

Today's route includes flying over Greenland's "Summit":

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Espen

From yesterdays flight:
Have a ice day!

Anne

Please explain. Is that a research station?
#stupid question

Jim Hunt

Quote from: Anne on April 11, 2014, 12:41:58 PM
Please explain. Is that a research station?

Yes Anne. Try clicking my earlier link to Wikipedia!
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Espen

Have a ice day!

Jim Hunt

Operation IceBridge is back in East Greenland today:
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

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Espen

#46
Jim;
Today IceBridge 2014, is on a Helheim visit, one of the most active glaciers in Greenland.

Looking forward to the images later today.

Just updated the Helheim thread because there is plenty of calving action there at the moment. BTW.
Have a ice day!

Espen

Today's flight:
Have a ice day!

Espen

From todays flight presenting Helheim, courtesy of NASA:
Have a ice day!

Espen

Have a ice day!