Once the hot water hole is completed through the Ross Ice Shelf, we will have about 12 hours for science operations before the drilling team begins deploying the riser pipe. We will use this time to get a water sample, one or more gravity cores, and a CTD. But what is a CTD? It stands for conductivity, temperature, and depth and it refers to a set of instruments that can measure these properties in the ocean. A CTD is deployed through the water column (often from an oceanographic research vessel) and collects this information with depth. Conductivity measures how well a solution conducts electricity. By measuring conductivity through the water column below the ice shelf, our oceanography team will be able to determine the salinity using the conductivity measurement along with the temperature and the pressure. In addition to the CTD instruments, oceanographer Ollie Twigge has attached a camera and lights to the frame that will be deployed into the ocean through the ice hole in order to image the base of the ice and the seafloor.

(more photos see Gallery)