Science: SASSIE Tools

We will address SASSIE science themes and questions through a multi-scale in situ, airborne, satellite, and modeling experiment. The primary aim of the field campaign is to capture the upper ocean structure during the transition from summer sea ice retreat to autumn sea ice advance. The types of measurements made by each instrument are shown as icons.

Salinity icon SalinityTemperature iconTemperature   Wind, Weather icon Wind, Weather   Air-Sea Flux icon Air-Sea Flux   Waves, Currents icon Waves, Currents   Ice icon Ice   Camera icon Camera   

Ship-based

Underway CTD
Underway CTD
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Underway CTD
Peter Gaube, Lead
This instrument measures conductivity (i.e., salinity), temperature, and depth (CTD). It is coupled to a sensor that provides data on chlorophyll-a (i.e., indicator of ocean productivity). It will capture the variability in upper ocean layering from near the ice edge to the open ocean, including the depth and horizontal extent of the melt layer.

Piloted & Drifting

Under ice float
Under Ice Float
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Under Ice Float
Andrey Shcherbina, Lead
This autonomous profiling float has been used in numerous experiments and tested in the Arctic. A special version will be built for SASSIE, outfitted with temperature and salinity sensors, an upward-looking ocean current profiler, and high-resolution imaging system and altimeter for ice avoidance. It will remain in the water to sample the early stages of freeze-up.
Unmanned aerial systems
Unmanned Aerial Systems
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Unmanned Aerial Systems
Peter Gaube, Lead
Equipped with optical cameras, Unmanned Aerial Systems will be flown by licensed operators onboard ship. Images will be geo-rectified with pixel resolutions of ~1 cm over ~300 by 300 m frames. Images will be used to identify and measure the area of ice floes, provide surface ice drift estimates, and map sea ice edges for field campaign planning.

Airborne, Satellite & Modelling