Yesterday we started seeing somewhat thicker ice and even some icebergs. Oden pulled up right next to one of the bigger icebergs. Researchers from UNIS decided it was a good opportunity to laser scan the iceberg and quickly had to set up their equipment on deck. With the laser scanner it’s possible to create a 3D point cloud overview of the part above the water surface and estimate the iceberg’s size and shape.

David Wrangborg and Aleksey Marchenko, UNIS, setting up the laser scanner. Photo: Jan-Ola Olofsson

Sveinung Løset from NTNU, who is cruise leader, later managed to deploy an Ice Tracking Drifter (ITD) on top of the iceberg. The ITD makes it possible to study the iceberg’s drift – its movement, absolute velocity, acceleration and curvature.

Sveinung Løset on the iceberg. Photo: Jan-Ola Olofsson

The marine mammal observers have seen some seals and a polar bear. Unfortunately the polar bear was too far away from Oden to get a really good look…

This morning we deployed the third mooring line and are now heading to the fourth, and last, deployment location. There’s still no sign of ice that is suitable for an ice station, but we hope the situation will get better later today.

Jan-Ola Olofsson, Swedish Polar Research Secretariat