Deployment
of the JAMSTEC Compact Arctic Drifting (J-CAD)
buoy by JAMSTEC scientists (left) and group
photo on sea ice in front of Louis S. St-Laurent
(right).
Left: There
are at least 2 polar bears in this photo.
Right: One more polar bear.
Our latest
visitor approaches to welcome his unexpected
guests.
Dispatch 12 - August 31-September
1, 2003 By Andrey
Proshutinsky
Signs of sea ice and another polar bear
A polar bear visited us on Saturday evening, August
30th. We did not report this in yesterday’s
dispatch because it had already been sent to WHOI.
August 31st was a busy day for JAMSTEC scientists
deploying their J-CAD drifting buoy. The rest of
the expedition enjoyed bright Arctic sunshine and
a short walk around the icebreaker after supper.
Unfortunately, heavy fog settled in and everyone,
including the JAMSTEC scientists, had to leave the
ice floe and return to the ship.
The following morning, September 1, the weather
became colder and we encountered our absolute minimum
air temperature (-5°). We also observed the
formation of new ice at the sea surface.
Despite the chill, the J-CAD buoy deployment continued
at 6:00 a.m. and was completed by 12:30 p.m. Presently
our coordinates are 76° 16’N and 139°
50’W. We are heading to our next CTD station
at 75°N and 140°W. We are scheduled to arrive
about 7 p.m.
