IceBridge: Sledding Down an Ice Cap

By Julie Weckerlein

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 (OIB 2011). USNA Midshipman Eric Brugler is finishing up his USNA Senior Research project.

Lr. Cmdr. Woods: Saturday morning at Thule Air Base is pretty slow-paced.  Midshipman Brugler and I went to the gym around 0730, and we were the only ones there except for a few Air Force guys.  We had a lazy but productive morning (laundry, some research, email) in preparation for our sled ride trek in the afternoon coordinated by the base activities center.   The group was supposed to take us to the Ice Cap; however, the access road was closed, so we searched for an alternate site.  We hitched a ride with some Greenland contractors (Danish citizens who work at Thule for years at a time), and we actually ended up going over to Dundas Village again.  This time it was a much easier voyage via car, rather than walking across the sea ice.  Also, the sun was shining bright, so the icebergs in the bay were even more spectacular!

Midshipman Brugler: Once at the mountain, everyone immediately began to sled down the steep hill; it was actually quite entertaining to see these grown adults playing like they were ten years old again. After about four or five runs, everyone was completely exhausted from the continual hikes back up to the top.

Lr. Cmdr. Woods: We finally ended up finding a spot to go sledding, and it had a great overlook of the entire base, harbor, and Detachment 1 site.  The airstrip is enormous, and we had a perfect vantage point from where we were sledding.  Thule operates a modern airfield with a 10,000-foot runway and more than 3,000 U.S. and international flights per year.   Looking off in one direction you could see the harbor where each summer the Maritime Sealift Command docks with a fuel re-supply.  The base is home to the northernmost deep-water port in the world.  Off to the south we could see Detachment 1, where the US Air Force’s 23rd Space Wing’s global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.  It was a great panoramic vantage point in beautiful weather (only minus 5 degrees today with a minus 20 degree wind chill!).  Everyone had fun sledding and snowboarding down the side of the hill.  The snow was very dry and not very deep.  The surface was a bit inconsistent and varied between ice, snow, and rocks.  It reminded me of my early years learning to ski in New Jersey.

Midshipman Brugler: Later that evening, after another tasty meal at the buffet here on base, I decided to do a little reading. I began reading some pepers that were analyzing the data collected from the IceBridge operation in 2009. Just hearing about the different types of laser altimetry equipment and radar equipment got me excited to participate in the flights coming up next week. It’s very interesting how different scientists are using different equipment and looking at different things in the Arctic, but all of their work ties into each other, and is all contributing to gaining a better understanding of this polar environment. Therefore, as a student, I am looking forward to interacting with the scientists and learning about their projects.