All aboard! This U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker is ready to set sail to the Arctic.
updated 6/21/2011 4:59:24 PM ET 2011-06-21T20:59:24


On June 25, the ICESCAPE mission (which stands for "Impacts of Climate on Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment") resumes its investigation of the impacts of climate change in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas along Alaska's western and northern coasts.

Research teams depart from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy. The mission involves 47 scientists who will spend five weeks exploring parts of the Arctic Ocean that were previously too ice-covered for ships to penetrate.


Basis of the food web
Phytoplankton, microscopic organisms that live in watery environments, are a key focus of the campaign. They form the base of the aquatic food web and cycle Earth's carbon between the atmosphere and the ocean. They are also vulnerable to climate change. NASA has monitored changes in phytoplankton from space worldwide with the Aqua satellite and the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor.

  1. Science news from
    1. NOAA
      Cosmic rays may spark Earth's lightning


    2. How our brains can track a 100 mph pitch
    3. Moth found to have ultrasonic hearing
    4. Quantum network could secure Internet

"Last year, ICESCAPE nailed down quite a few things in terms of the phytoplankton work," said the mission's chief scientist, Kevin Arrigo of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. "We know pretty well now how fast they are growing and what they are responding to. The repeat measurements from this voyage will help us confirm what's going on."




Forging farther north

Last year, researchers saw some indication that nutrients were moving between deep and shallow water. Wind unexpectedly blew thick, multiyear sea ice south to the edge of the shelf — at some places the ice was up to 20 feet thick. The ice proved too thick for the icebreaker to penetrate. The Healy, the newest and most technologically advanced U.S. polar icebreaker, is designed to break 4.5 feet of ice continuously at a speed of 3 knots.

This year, the field campaign begins two weeks later, which means the Healy is expected to encounter thinner summer ice and thus have a better chance of exploring the ecosystems in waters that spend most of the year under a blanket of ice.

© 2012 OurAmazingPlanet. All rights reserved. More from OurAmazingPlanet.


Discussion comments


Most active discussions

  1. votes comments
  2. votes comments
  3. votes comments
  4. votes comments