Crossing the Arctic Circle

Early in the afternoon of July 30th, the CCGS Amundsen crossed the Arctic Circle, one of only two major circles of latitude that still remain uncommon lines to cross. With thirty-five of the people onboard this leg of the cruise having never crossed into the Arctic Circle before, the day started with the time-honoured sailor's tradition of welcoming new arrivals into the last bastion of Neptune's realm - a secret ceremony that ended with an official certificate of passage.

Discovering ice Photo by: Eugenie Jacobsen

Once in Arctic waters, there was a near-immediate new factor in the established routine. The intermittent icebergs that had been seen floating by 100m or more away turned into densely packed sea ice, something that - like the forecasts for the winds and the waves - needed to be closely monitored. Though the Amundsen is an icebreaker, traveling around and through sea ice slows the ship drastically, and can make certain collecting operations impossible. With the ice coverage still heavy over several of the sites planned for the cruise, decisions on where to go next can change on a daily basis.

Shaomin collecting ice Photo by: Eugenie Jacobsen

The ice, wind, and waves projected for the open-water sites past Davis Strait sent the ship to one of the later stations in the itinerary, located in the relatively sheltered southwestern fjords in Baffin Bay. On the way, it also presented the perfect opportunity to sample some of the now-common sea ice passing by.

Unstable, easily broken, and potentially dangerous if not handled carefully, these ice floes are sampled without anyone having to get out onto the ice themselves. Instead, a team of one scientist and one coast guard crew is bundled into several layers of protective gear and loaded into a cage that can be lowered down with a winch to just above the surface of the water. Armed with shovels and buckets, they will scoop up as much of the smaller fragments of ice floating by as they need before being lifted back up onto the ship with their prize.

Vincent helping with ice collection Photo by: Eugenie Jacobsen

So close to land, the sea ice dampens the waves to nearly nothing - meaning that even though the slow approach to the southern fjords of Baffin Island was frigidly cold, it was a breathtakingly beautiful transit over perfectly still waters through the extended sunsets of the polar evening.

Written by: Sophie Wolvin