IceBridge: From the Naval Academy to Greenland

By Carla Voorhees

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Woods is a Meteorology and Oceanography Officer (METOC) currently teaching in the Oceanography Department at the United States Naval Academy (USNA). He is part of the Sea Ice Thickness Observation team currently participating in NASAs Operation Ice Bridge 2011. This is the first entry in his series of posts from the top of the world.

Most midshipmen at USNA spend their spring breaks in some warm, tropical location. But I like to introduce students to an environment unknown to many: the Arctic. These next few weeks, I will be living at Thule Air Base on the northwest coast of Greenland, flying in NASA P-3 aircraft and observing the collection of data of Arctic Sea Ice. I have a senior research student along with me, who will be finishing up his project on sea ice observation techniques with some infield experience.

About two months ago, I began looking for a mission to the Arctic. A good colleague of mine, Jackie Richter Menge, invited me to a meeting at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. She is the Sea Ice Observing Team leader. I never heard of IceBridge before this meeting, but left with the prospect that a student and I would be able to participate in P-3 overflights of the Arctic. After weeks of thorough coordination with multiple parties and agencies (Navy, NASA, NOAA), we found approval and funding for our trip.

Midshipman Eric Brugler is finishing up his USNA Senior Research project, working with me on Sea Ice Thickness measurement studies. He has been busy for two semesters, reading papers and looking at data, but my goal is to get him into the field to observe collection techniques. It’s a big sacrifice to give up his final Spring Break, but I think he is excited about this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

So our trip began at Baltimore Washington International Airport. We piled our three children into the car, and my wife, Anne, drove Eric and me to the airport. We showed up to a fairly empty airport and one of the easiest check-in processes I have ever experienced. We then searched out some food to wait for our 2:00AM flight departure, and we ran into the rest of the party traveling to Thule with us.

It was great linking up with the “first wave” of IceBridge team members. A majority of the team will be arriving via the P-3 aircraft next week. Soon, we boarded the DC-8 chartered aircraft for the nearly six-hour flight, due north to Greenland. The flight was comfortable, although a bit chilly at times. It was similar to a commercial airline. However, it was primarily a cargo mission; a large cargo hold with only 30 seats situated towards the rear of the aircraft. I was able to sleep for some part of the flight; however I was gratefully woken up be a strong beam of sunlight as the sun rose through the window across from me.

This was a pleasant surprise because as I looked out my window, I saw a beautiful sight. Large sea ice floes created a seascape like one I have never seen before. I snapped pictures for the remainder of the flight. Each minute, the area of ocean below us was constantly changing: it would be completely covered in ice, then only several floes, large cracks or leads, different stages of ice formation, open water, icebergs, and even sea smoke (or low clouds) forming over the relatively warm ocean and VERY cold air above. It was truly breathtaking!

We landed to some more great scenery. Once the coastline of Greenland was spotted, we were already on final approach. This was another landscape I have never experienced before. The Greenland Ice Sheet was directly below us, mountains went right to the ocean, glaciers flowing between peaks, ending in a field of broken up icebergs floating just offshore stuck in the ice. We were only over land for a few minutes before Thule Air Base was in sight. We rounded Mt. Dundas and landed smoothly on the white, ice-covered runway. A short taxi to the terminal, and we stepped out into the bone chilling minus-25 degree weather. Instantly, the moisture inside my nose froze. It was a very interesting feeling. Once inside the terminal, the base commander and his leadership team greeted us (as we were the only flight in for the week), and instantly made us feel at home.

We are excited to explore the base and take in as much of the Thule experience while we have the opportunity before we get involved with the IceBridge flights later this week.