Heiberg Organizes
Arctic Research Trips

Andy Heiberg, PSC's polar logistics expert, has had a busy winter planning for two research trips to the Arctic this spring. Because of the Arctic's distance from civilization and challenging climate, his 30+ years of experience proves indispensable to ensuring each trip's success. Over the years Andy has become adept at handling unusual situations and constantly changing plans. The changes are caused by ice, weather, and equipment problems routinely experienced in the rugged Arctic environment.

To support the groups heading for he Arctic, Andy is shipping about 20,000 lbs. of supplies and scientific equipment for the North Pole Environmental Observatory's (NPEO's) fourth year of field operations. The team departs the 3rd week in April. Get details here.

Andy also has arranged with Canada for two groups of scientists to stay at the Alert AFB the first week in May. On day trips, researchers will conduct aerial hydrographic and hydro-chemical surveys of the Arctic Ocean.

In both of these endeavors Andy is working closely with VECO Polar Resources, NSF's Arctic Logistics Contractor, in making these arrangements.

One of these researcher teams is beginning field work on a new NSF-funded project about Arctic freshwater. The group will take water samples that measure the amount of dissolved chemicals in the water. The sampling will occur in an area that Mike Steele calls the freshwater switchyard of the Arctic Ocean. Learn more about this switchyard.

Student to Produce Film
of PSC's North Pole Environmental Observatory

Dan Dyer is about to get a chance other students can only dream about. Entering his final quarter in pursuit of a Master of Communications in Digital Media here at the UW, Dan will be producing his final project—an Arctic expedition. "There have been very few films made of the Arctic area," said Dan, "and, I'm hoping my work will become part of the rare Arctic footage available."

Dan departs for the Arctic on April 28th. He intends to video tape polar scientists at work and produce the film as a DVD for distribution to high school students. His hope is that the DVD will excite them about science and teach them that Arctic climate changes affect even those who don't live in the far north. The NPEO is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Update: Here is a link to a video about the fun Dan's been having on the trip.

Hayes Research Put to Use
Improving AUV Data

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are unmanned and untethered submersibles. Daniel Hayes, a PSC grad student with AUV experience, is in the South Pole seas where he is analyzing data being transmitted from an AUV autosub.

As part of his graduate work, Hayes developed a computer model which improves the accuracy of measuring vertical water velocity and the turbulent fluxes of heat and salt. Previously, these measurements taken by AUVs were distorted by the vehicle's pitching motion. But Hayes' research provides a technique to account for the vehicle's pitch and improve the accuracy by "smoothing out" the measurement. Check on PSC grad student Dan Hayes at the South Pole.

Dan's initial research used data obtained from AUVs that were operated in melt ponds during a 7 August 1998 storm at the SHEBA site in the Arctic.

Soon to complete his Ph.D., Dan will become an employee of the British Antarctic Survey of the UK.