Last night I, and most likely everyone else as well, was kept awake by almost continuous scratching of ice against the ship. In our yoga session this morning, the relaxation was interrupted by bursts of laughter when the voice on the dvd told us to listen to the sound of the ocean. I think the instructor was talking about a different ocean: our ocean sounded more like construction work area. Sounds of the ship shaking and creaking were blended with the noise from ice and metal being scratched against each other.
I thought we had finally reached the solid ice cover, but when I went outside, there were still smaller and larger openings in the ice cover, with ice floes floating around. I was confused: Are we still in the marginal ice zone, or is the solid ice cover this broken and speckled with open water? The marginal ice zone is defined as the area where waves and swells break the ice cover into smaller (near the edge) and larger (further inside the ice cover) floes. This marginal zone is typically 100-150 km wide, but as the ice cover is getting thinner with the warming climate, the waves and swells are expected to penetrate further into the ice, expanding the width of the marginal ice zone. Changes in the characteristics and physical processes in the marginal ice zone are important, because most of the ecosystem in the Arctic Ocean depends on the productivity of this area. A wider marginal ice zone is likely to increase biological production in the Arctic Ocean, as it provides perfect conditions, light, and nutrients for phytoplankton, which further maintains the whole food chain, all the way up to the seals and polar bears.
So are we still in the marginal ice zone or did we already reach the solid ice cover? Even when you know the definition, here it provides no answers as you look around yourself. The definition becomes useless without satellite images; without them we cannot tell whether or not this, or the next, ice floe is attached to the solid Arctic ice cover.
Finnish Translation
Viime yona en mina, eika todennakoisesti kukaan muukaan, pystynyt nukkumaan laivan kylkia lahes jatkuvasti raapivien jaalauttojen vuoksi. Aamun joogaharjoituksen rentoutus paattyi naurunpurskahduksiin, kun nauhoitteen aani yritti loihtia mieliimme meren aania. Ohjaaja puhui luultavasti eri meresta: meidan meremme kuulosti pikemmin rakennustyomaalta. Laivan tarina ja narina sekoittuivat meteliin, joka syntyy jaan ja metallin hangatessa toisiaan vasten.
Ajattelin, etta olimme vihdoin saavuttaneet kiintean jaapeitteen, mutta mennessani ulos, nain, etta jaapeite oli edelleen erikokoisten rakojen ja railojen taplittama. Ihmettelin olemmeko edelleen jaan reunavyohykkeella vai onko kiintea jaapeitekin nain rikkonainen? Jaan reunavyohykkeella tarkoitetaan aluetta, jossa aallot ja maininki rikkovat jaapeitteen pienemmiksi (lahella reunaa) ja suuremmiksi (sisemmalla jaapeitteessa) lautoiksi. Tama vyohyke on tyypillisesti 100-150 km levea, mutta kun jaapeite ohenee ilmaston lammetessa, aallot ja maininki voivat edeta pidemmalle jaapeitteeseen leventaen reuna-aluetta. Jaan reunavyohykkeen fysikaalisten ominaisuuksien ja prosessien muutosten tutkiminen on tarkaa, koska suuri osa Pohjoisen jaameren ekosysteemista on keskittynyt talle alueelle. Leveampi jaan reunavyohyke todennakoisesti lisaa biologista tuotantoa Pohjoisella jaamerella, silla se tarjoaa hyvat olosuhteet, valoa ja ravinteita, phytoplanktonille, joka puolestaan yllapitaa koko ravintoketjua aina hylkeisiin ja jaakarhuihin asti.
Joten olemmeko edelleen jaan reunavyohykkeella vai saavutimmeko jo kiintean jaapeitteen? Vaikka maaritelma on tuttu, siita ei ole apua, kun taalla katselee ymparilleen. Ilman satelliittikuvia maaritelmasta tulee hyodyton: ilman niita emme pysty sanomaan on tama, tai seuraava, jaalautta osa Pohjoisen jaameren kiinteaa jaapeitetta.
– Meri Korhonen
Hi, I am a student at LEOM High School i never been on a ship or around snow . How do it feel to be on a Journey across the see on a ship even when its freezing cold?, Does it make you feel like a pop sickle or see sick ?
Dear Ronesha, your reference to a popsickle made me laugh, that was a great comparison! 🙂 Snow and ice are beautiful, and for me, when I look out over the ship and see the ocean covered in shimmering white snow and ice, with the sun reflecting off of little melted areas here and there, I think it looks like another world. So pretty. As for the cold, the trick is to wear lots of layers to protect you from the cold and wind, and you are totally fine. The only part that may feel like a popsicle is your nose and your fingers, because sometimes it’s so pretty that you have to take off your gloves to take a picture! 🙂
I am a student from LEOM High School i was wondering how many years of studing & training did it take to prepare you for the challenges and the intire journey in the artic?
Hi Ronesha, we actually have a really wide range of people and backgrounds onboard. To be a scientist on a trip like this, they go to college, then graduate school for maybe 5 more years to get a PhD. After that, some people do research jobs, some do research and teach at universities. But there are also students onboard, who have finished college and are now working towards their PhD. So they got a really lucky experience really soon in their career! As for me, I have Bachelors and Masters Degree in Physics and Astronomy, and after that, I have taught and also worked at science museums, which is a great way to combine my loves of science and education!