Arctic Research Paper
This past Tuesday, the first US Coast Guard icebreaker reached the North Pole, thus becoming the first American surface vessel to get to the top of the world by itself.
Meet the Healy
The ship, named US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, is Seattle-based, and it marks the fourth US vessel to have reached the North Pole; the first one to do so unescorted. There are submarines traveling under the Arctic icepack regularly, and they occasionally surface at the North Pole.
Recently, the gradual melting of polar ice has caused a lot of activity to spring up in the area; nations from all over the world are eyeing the possibilities to gain new viable oil, gas deposits, mineral reserves and transit and shipping routes, such as the Northwest Passage. Most notably, Russia is already setting ground to claim part of the Arctic as Russian territory.
A Mission to Research, Protect and Get to Know the North Pole
The Coast Guard declared in a statement that as the arctic region continues to open up to development, the data gathered on board the Healy during its cruise in the North Pole will become …show more content…
The ship carries crew and passengers rounding up to 145, including a team of scientists from GEOTRACES studying the geochemistry of the oceans. The vessel started its journey on August 9 from the Dutch Harbor in Alaska on August 9, and arrived at the Pole a week ahead of schedule.
The Ice is Still Too Soft
The Coast Guard press release goes on to say that the ice has gotten sloshy quite close to the pole, which was an area the vessel, packed with research labs and oceanographic deck winches, was confident would allow on-ice science experiments, and because of the softness of the ice, it was not safe enough to stand or walk on.
However, the Healy has also been conducting ice rescue training in order to increase safety as the chance for exploration and research on the ice grows
Meet the Healy
The ship, named US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, is Seattle-based, and it marks the fourth US vessel to have reached the North Pole; the first one to do so unescorted. There are submarines traveling under the Arctic icepack regularly, and they occasionally surface at the North Pole.
Recently, the gradual melting of polar ice has caused a lot of activity to spring up in the area; nations from all over the world are eyeing the possibilities to gain new viable oil, gas deposits, mineral reserves and transit and shipping routes, such as the Northwest Passage. Most notably, Russia is already setting ground to claim part of the Arctic as Russian territory.
A Mission to Research, Protect and Get to Know the North Pole
The Coast Guard declared in a statement that as the arctic region continues to open up to development, the data gathered on board the Healy during its cruise in the North Pole will become …show more content…
The ship carries crew and passengers rounding up to 145, including a team of scientists from GEOTRACES studying the geochemistry of the oceans. The vessel started its journey on August 9 from the Dutch Harbor in Alaska on August 9, and arrived at the Pole a week ahead of schedule.
The Ice is Still Too Soft
The Coast Guard press release goes on to say that the ice has gotten sloshy quite close to the pole, which was an area the vessel, packed with research labs and oceanographic deck winches, was confident would allow on-ice science experiments, and because of the softness of the ice, it was not safe enough to stand or walk on.
However, the Healy has also been conducting ice rescue training in order to increase safety as the chance for exploration and research on the ice grows