Description:

The Switchyard project is a program to study circulation (sea ice and upper ocean) in the region between Alert (Ellesmere Island) and the North Pole, through a series of annual springtime hydrographic surveys, moorings, and sea ice analyses. These UW CTD data were collected using a combination of helicopters and Twin Otter aircraft. In 2003-2006, data were collected by helicopter landing on the sea ice near a lead, where a small winch was used to lower a Seabird SBE 19plus CTD (with dissolved oxygen sensor) down to 500m. Data were collected on a SW-NE section across the continental slope centered at about 65W, 84N, and also at other locations in the Lincoln Sea as the opportunity presented itself. In 2007, poor weather conditions precluded safe helicopter operations and no UW CTD data were collected. Beginning in 2008 and continuing through 2012, a Twin Otter was used by the UW team to collect CTD profiles as deep as 1000m within a 500 km radius of Alert. In 2010 and 2011, Airborne Expendable CTD Probes were dropped into open leads from the Twin to record an ocean section across the north end of Nares Strait.

Short Name:

switchyard_uw_ctd_data

Data Center Contact(s):

Liz Schlagel, schlagel@nsidc.org

Metadata Contact(s):

Michael Steele, mas@apl.washington.edu

Discipline:

Ocean and Sea Ice

GCMD Science Keyword:

Oceans > Ocean Circulation > Fresh Water Flux

ISO Topic:

oceans

Data Format(s):

Other ASCII

Time Frequency(ies):

Unknown

Location(s):

Arctic Ocean

Data Type(s):

Point

Progress:

Completed - Dataset fully collected/analyzed.

Northernmost Latitude:

82 degrees

Southernmost Latitude:

87 degrees

Westernmost Longitude:

-25 degrees

Easternmost Longitude:

-95 degrees

Time Coverage:

Start - May 6, 2003    End - May 16, 2012

Language:

English

Platform(s):

Aircraft

Instrument(s):

CTD

Use and Access Restrictions: