ANDRILL Coulman High Project site surveys on and below the Ross Ice Shelf

The ANDRILL (ANtarctic geological DRILLing) Coulman High Project – Phase 1 Site Surveys, also known as USAP Science Event G-049-M, was a collaborative activity with NZ Science Event K-001-C. Antarctic field activities were undertaken in the austral summer of 2010-2011. A significant amount of equipment, supplies and people safely traversed approximately 120 miles from McMurdo Station to establish a series of combined United States - New Zealand (US-NZ) field camps on the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) at locations northeast of Ross Island. The ANDRILL hot water drill (HWD) system was used to melt 10 to 60 cm-diameter access holes through 250‐275 meters of ice shelf at each site to deploy a variety of cameras, oceanographic instruments, and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named SCINI (Submersible Capable of under-Ice Navigation and Imaging). GPS stations were established at four sites to monitor lateral and vertical ice motions. Oceanographic moorings were deployed at two sites perpendicular to the ice edge for at least two full tidal cycles (M1 = 55 days; M2 = 52 days). The M1 mooring, ~6 km south of the ice shelf edge, was the primary responsibility of the NZ National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) team, while the M2 mooring, ~17 km south of the ice shelf edge, was the primary responsibility of the team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The Submersible Capable of under-Ice Navigation and Imaging (SCINI) remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was deployed multiple times down a ~30 cm-diameter hole at Site 3 and again near Site CH-1 (located ~10 and 6 km from the ice edge, respectively) to explore the underside of the ice shelf while conducting operational testing.