Work on the ice
Sea ice research, in particular the field work involves extensive logistics. Apart from access to the ice via Antarctic research stations, the only way to penetrate into heavy pack ice is by ice-breaker such as the R.V. Polarstern. When ships are no longer able to enter the ice because it is too thick (e.g. Multiyear ice), helicopters are often used to fly scientist out to more remote ice floes. Scientists working off the ship descend via a gangway or are lowered onto the ice by crane in a so-called mummy chair.
Most analyses on sea ice are done on samples obtained by using specially designed corers which are driven into the ice by hand or motor. Extracted cores are either immediately packed into plastic tubes and returned to the ship where they are deep frozen for further analyses in the home laboratory, or processed on the ice. These cores, which are used mainly for biological work are placed in an insulated tube. The temperate of the ice is then measured in small pits drilled into the ice through holes in the tube at 5 cm intervals. The cores are then cut into 10 cm sections with a stainless steel hacksaw. The sections are placed in plastic cans and taken to the ship where they are allowed to melt. The melted samples are then analysed for parameters such as salinity, nutrients, species numbers and others.
Sea ice is not only investigated directly by scientists from ships. Other methods of sea ice research include remote sensing, radar, upward looking sonar deployed under the ice on moorings and aerial surveys from helicopters or aeroplanes. Many scientists use currently available meteorological, oceanographical as well as biological data to model sea ice dynamics and productivity in order to understand the role of sea ice in the global climate system as well as for the polar ecosystems.