CTD and Optical Data from the Ice-Tethered Winch Deployment Trial Spring 2014

These data were collected as part of a development project that merged two existing technologies: the ice-tethered profiler and the arctic winch. The new platform, the ice-tethered winch, combines the capabilities of these two platforms, providing near real-time data, similar to the ice-tethered profiler, but capable of profiling over the variable topography of the shelf (arctic winch). The surface package for the ITW is based on that of the ITP with Iridium, GPS, electronics, and power for communications, and buoyancy sufficient to float the system in open water. The lowered package is based on the Arctic Winch and includes the electronics, power, and hardware for a sub-surface winch and winch controller along with an instrumentation package that is repeatedly lowered and raised from its docking station beneath the ice to the bottom or 50-m depth, whichever is less. Sensors measure conductivity, temperature, pressure, fluorescence, and turbidity. Year two of the project included finalization of the design, manufacture of the systems and field-testing. In spring 2014, two ITWs were temporarily deployed offshore of Barrow, AK as part of the testing phase of the system.. ITW1 was deployed at 71.3956N, 156.4879W and ITW2 was deployed at 71.3961N, 156.4882W. The deployment spanned April 2014. The CTD and optical (fluorescence and turbidity) data from this test period in shallow water (~5-m depth) are available here and from the ITP website (www.whoi.edu/itp/itw1data.html, www.whoi.edu/itp/itw2data.html). The project website has links to the data as well as more information about the development (www-highlat.coas.oregonstate.edu/~highlat/ITWSite).