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A Minke Breakthrough

December 9, 2017

During a 2012 expedition to make detailed, high-resolution 3-D maps of Antarctic sea ice using an autonomous underwater vehicle known as SeaBED, researchers on board the Australian icebreaker RSV Aurora Australis found themselves stuck in heavy pack ice for nearly two weeks. “The ice was just too thick for the ship to break,” said Peter Kimball, then a WHOI postdoctoral scientist. “While we were stuck, this magnificent minke whale broke through a few centimeters of ice in a small lead and was breathing at the hole, right near our ship, for an entire day.” (Photo by Peter Kimball, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)