One of our main activities took place directly on the ice, as mentioned in the previous article. During these ice stations, we drilled multiple ice cores to investigate how temperature, salinity, and mechanical strength are distributed throughout the ice thickness. Temperature measurements were taken immediately after the cores were extracted. The cores were then cut into 10-centimeter sections and transported in small containers so that salinity could be determined from the meltwater.
Separate ice cores were collected specifically for strength testing. These samples were used to measure compressive, plate-bending, and tensile strength with the Mobile Ice Strength Test Device, a hydraulically driven testing system. The device recorded the forces applied to the ice and the resulting deformations, allowing us to characterize the mechanical behavior of the ice under different loading conditions.
Nearly all strength tests were carried out directly on the ice to capture in-situ conditions. By testing the material in its natural environment, we were able to reduce disturbances to the ice structure and obtain results that more accurately reflect real ice properties. In a few cases, however, logistical constraints required the ice samples to be tested onboard, as the vessel needed to resume its transit shortly after the ice drilling work was completed.
Overall, the collected ice cores provided a comprehensive dataset describing the thermal, saline, and mechanical properties of the ice. The measured distributions of strength, temperature, and salinity will be summarized in upcoming scientific articles. Results from the most recent cruise, as well as a detailed description of the determination of bending strength from circular bending samples, are presented in Reconstructing beam bending strength of arctic second year ice from small disk bending tests.
