Below is a post written by the four midshipmen who participated in the USNA PSP first field campaign over Spring Break 2012 out of Barrow, AK. Authors: MIDN 1/C Ben Aspholm, MIDN 1/C Kyle Crowder, MIDN 2/C Will Parker, MIDN 2/C Rebecca Watson.
Four Midshipmen (Oceanography, Chemistry, and Aerospace Engineering) and three
officers from the Oceanography Department recently travelled to the ‘Northern
Most Point in the U.S.’ Barrow, Alaska from 07-15MAR12 as part of the U.S.
Naval Academy Polar Science Program (USNA-PSP). The program is designed to
introduce midshipmen to the unique environment of the Polar Regions through
academic course work, design/build projects, scientific research and field
experiments. This trip was sponsored by the USNA STEM office, Midshipman
Research Office, and Oceanography Department and provided the Midshipmen with
the opportunity to participate in a major, international Arctic research
program to investigate effects of Arctic sea ice reduction (especially the loss
of perennial or multi-year sea ice in the last decade) on bromine explosion,
ozone depletion, Arctic tropospheric photochemical processes, and mercury
deposition in the Arctic Beaufort Sea on the North Slope of Alaska. The
Arctic field campaign is called BROMEX (Bromine, Ozone, and Mercury
EXperiment). It is being led by the National Aeronautical and Space
Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and is supported by
NASA and by contributions and participations from 18 agencies and institutions in
U.S., Canada, Germany, and U.K. LCDR John Woods, CDR Joe Smith, and CDR
Carl Hager ventured to the Arctic with Midshipmen 1/C Kyle Crowder, 1/C Benjamin
Aspholm, 2/C Will Parker, and 2/C Rebecca Watson for the Spring Break
experience of a lifetime. The seven USNA representatives, along with, Sam Denes,
a Doctoral Candidate in the Penn State
Acoustic Program, journeyed to the arctic to deploy an USNA-PSP Arctic buoy
(IceGoat1), collect acoustic data, and obtain samples for biochemical research.
MIDN 1/C Kyle
Crowder, an honors Oceanography student, worked with LCDR Woods throughout the
past year to bring the IceGoat1 buoy from concept to a finished product. Fall
semester was spent working hard on determining what materials and equipment would
be needed, finding funding, and then finally ordering the parts. After winter
break, most of the parts had been obtained so construction of the buoy was
started. Throughout this process, Kyle’s primary role was developing an
understanding of each of the components that would be needed in the buoy.
Ignatius Rigor from the University of Washington was constantly answering
questions regarding the ARGOS and Todd Valentic from the Stanford Research
Institute was helpful in designing the Iridium satellite communications system.
MIDN 1/C Benjamin Aspholm, an Astronautical Engineering
student, was one of the three Midshipmen working on the IceGoat1 Buoy. The Midshipmen worked together to design a
solar panel power system to power the multiple systems of the IceGoat. The system is designed to only be on when the
solar panels are generating current from the sun. This means that when the sun goes down, the
entire system shuts down to conserve the life of the battery. The system then wakes up every morning and
captures pictures all day while the sun powers the system and recharges the
battery. The system powers the two
Logitech web cameras that take pictures every 15 minutes as well as two
communications systems, an Iridium satellite uplink, and an Automatic Packet
Reporting System (APRS) radio. The
Iridium uplink is the system used to retrieve all the data from the
IceGoat. It can also be used to send
commands to the IceGoat to either update its systems or change the way data is
recorded and sent back. The APRS system
is on a radio frequency that can be used to communicate with small satellites
deployed by USNA with similar systems on board.
Information from the IceGoat1 will be relayed to the small satellites
back to USNA using this system.
MIDN 2/C Will Parker, an Oceanography student, was
associated with the acoustic sampling under direction of CDR Carl Hager and Sam
Denes. The primary objective of this
project was to determine empirically the transmission loss of a signal between
a source and receiver under environmental conditions in which the propagation
of the signal into the air and ice are of interest. This work will be used as ground-truthing for
a finite element model implementation of the propagation losses, which will be
incorporated with other data to determine detectability of signals under
conditions experienced in the Arctic.
MIDN 2/C Rebecca Watson, a Chemistry major, worked with
CDR Joe Smith to collect chemical and biological samples from snow, ice, and
water. Field sampling collection was
extremely challenging in the Arctic wintertime environment but the team was
able to collect snow samples from the tundra and from the sea ice, a 1 meter
ice core, and water column samples from beneath the sea ice. Additionally, samples were collected of
“frost-flowers” and “brine-cicles” that were found while working on the sea
ice. Samples were transported back to
USNA for analysis in the laboratory. The
snow samples will be analyzed for halide ions and metals, ice core samples will
be analyzed for halide ions, and water column samples will be analyzed for halide
ions, dissolved methane, and Deuterium and Oxygen-18 ratios. Samples from under the ice-water interface of
the ice core (the portion of the ice closest to the sea water), frost-flowers,
and brine-cicles will be used in an attempt to culture extremophiles associated
with the ice.
In addition to research, the midshipmen and LCDR Woods
spent a day at the local high school teaching students about Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). A few hours were spent in the
pool area with three different stations set up. One station was a
“Build-a-Buoy” project, where the students were able to build buoys and test
their buoyancy by loading them with golf balls. At the second station, students
were able to drive a “Sea Perch,” a simple remotely operated vehicle, through
the pool. At the last station, the students learned further about buoyancy by
trying to created “flinkers” out of packing peanuts, metal washers, and paper
clips. Flinkers are objects that do not float or sink, but rather suspend
themselves somewhere in between the surface and the bottom. This was an
excellent experience, especially for the students who are rarely introduced to
college or the military.
Thanks to the support of the STEM program and the
cooperation of scientists and professionals associated with BROMEX, the midshipmen
were able to take part in current Arctic field work. This program allowed USNA Midshipmen
and Officers to gain experience conducting research in challenging Arctic conditions
first hand while also absorbing local culture and heritage. The USNA-PSP trip
to Barrow benefited the students by immersing them in environmental research as
well as allowing them to gain an appreciation for a way of living so different
from their own. The experience gained
and data derived from this effort will be used to enhance USNA course materials
and laboratories for Midshipman education and will also be used in Midshipman
Independent research projects. Lessons learned from and success at BROMEX
2012 will provide the basis for continued Midshipman involvement in ongoing and
future national and international Polar research projects.
You can follow the USNA Polar Science Program on facebook, view pictures and videos, or get the current data from
IceGoat1 at one of the following sites:
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