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For many, the Arctic might seem like a conceptual location, challenging to envisage beyond snapshots of ice and polar bears. However, researcher David Whelihan from MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Advanced Undersea Systems and Technology Group is well-acquainted with the Arctic. Through Operation Ice Camp, a biennial initiative sponsored by the U.S. Navy to evaluate operational readiness in the Arctic region, he has journeyed to this expansive and isolated wilderness twice in recent years to test affordable sensor nodes crafted by the group to observe reductions in Arctic sea ice area and thickness. The research team aspires to create a network of such sensors throughout the Arctic that will continuously detect ice-breaking events and associate these occurrences with environmental factors to yield insights into the causes of sea ice disintegration. Whelihan shared his thoughts on the significance of the Arctic and the experience of working there.
Q: Why is it important for us to operate in the Arctic?
A: Covering around 5.5 million square miles, the Arctic is vast, with one of its prominent characteristics being the declining volume of ice that blankets much of the Arctic Ocean each year. Melting ice unveils areas that were previously inaccessible, leading to growing interest from both potential foes and allies for endeavors such as military activities, commercial shipping, and resource extraction. The United States has about 1,060 miles of Arctic coastline through Alaska that is becoming increasingly navigable due to diminishing ice cover. Thus, U.S. operations in the Arctic are a matter of national security.
Q: What are the technological constraints related to Arctic operations?
A: The Arctic presents an incredibly unforgiving environment. The cold significantly shortens battery life, making it exceedingly challenging to collect sensor data at high rates over prolonged periods. The ice is dynamic and can easily engulf or crush sensors. Furthermore, most missions require “boots-on-the-ice,” which is costly and sometimes perilous. One technological challenge is determining how to deploy sensors while ensuring human safety.
Q: How does the group’s sensor node R&D contribute to Arctic operations?
A: A substantial portion of our work on sensors is focused on deployability. Our ultimate aim is to liberate researchers from needing to venture onto the ice for sensor deployment. This objective will become increasingly vital as the shrinking ice pack becomes more dynamic, unstable, and unpredictable. At the most recent Operation Ice Camp (OIC) in March 2024, we constructed and swiftly evaluated deployable and recoverable sensors, along with innovative concepts like utilizing UAVs (uncrewed aerial vehicles), or drones, as “data mules” that can travel to and question the sensors to ascertain what data they have recorded. Additionally, we created a prototype wearable system that cues automatic downloading of sensor data over Wi-Fi so that operators don’t have to remove their gloves.
Q: The Arctic Circle represents the northernmost area on the planet. How do you access this isolated location?
A: We typically travel on commercial flights from Boston to Seattle to Anchorage, and then to Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope of Alaska. From that point, the Navy transports us on small propeller aircraft, such as Single and Twin Otters, approximately 200 miles north to land on an ice runway constructed by the Navy’s Arctic Submarine Lab (ASL). This runway is part of a temporary camp that ASL establishes on drifting sea ice for their operational readiness exercises conducted during OIC.
Q: Reflect on your first encounter in the Arctic. Can you describe what you encountered?
A: My initial experience was at Prudhoe Bay, stepping out of the airport, which resembles a corrugated metal shed with a single gate. Before opening the door to the outside, a sign alerts you to be cautious of polar bears. Stepping into the sheer emptiness and blinding white expanse made me recognize I was engaging with something entirely new.
Upon flying onto the ice and exiting the airplane, I was astonished that the surroundings could somehow appear even more barren. Shining white snowy ice extends in every direction, punctuated by pressure ridges formed when ice sheets collide. The sun hangs low, and seems to move only horizontally, making it very challenging to keep track of time. Air temperatures can vary significantly. On our first journey in 2022, it wasn’t (relatively) too cold — merely around minus 5 or 10 degrees during the day. By our second expedition in 2024, we faced temperatures of minus 30 almost daily, compounded by winds of 20 to 25 miles per hour. On the last evening we spent on the ice that year, it warmed slightly to minus 10 to 20, but the winds intensified, blowing snow onto the heaters attached to our tents. Those heaters started failing one after another as the drifting snow covered them, obstructing airflow. After our heater failed, while cozy in my sleeping bag, I questioned whether I wanted to venture outside to the command tent for assistance or endure until dawn in my thick sleeping bag. I chose the first option, mainly because the heater control was beeping incessantly right beside my bunk, preventing me from sleeping. A shout-out to the ASL staff who tirelessly repaired heaters all night!
Q: How do you endure in a place generally unwelcoming to humans?
A: In collaboration with the local community, ASL provisions a considerable amount of equipment — from insulated, heated tents and communication devices to large snow blowers for runway maintenance. Several months prior to OIC, participants undergo training on anticipated conditions and how to safeguard themselves using suitable clothing, as well as how to operate survival gear in case of emergencies.
Q: Are there intentions to revisit the Arctic?
A: We are hoping to return this winter as part of OIC 2026! We plan to trial a communication device that functions through the ice. Communicating across 4 to 12 feet of ice is quite complex but could facilitate connections between underwater drones and stationary sensors beneath the ice with the rest of the world. To bolster the through-ice communication system, we will repurpose our sensor-node boxes deployed during OIC 2024. If this setup proves effective, those same boxes could act as control hubs for various underwater systems and transmit information about the sub-ice environment back home via satellite.
Q: What lessons learned will be carried into your upcoming journey and any possible future trips?
A: After the initial expedition, I gained a tangible understanding of the challenges of operating there. The prototyping of systems becomes an entirely different challenge. Prototypes are frequently delicate, yet such fragility is not received well on the ice. Therefore, there is a need for a robustification phase, which can be time-consuming.
During this last trip, I recognized the necessity to be vigilant with my energy usage and to pace myself. While the average adult might require around 2,000 calories per day, an Arctic explorer may expend several times that amount through physical exertion (we engage in a lot of walking around camp) and keeping warm. Generally, we survive on the same freeze-dried meals one would take on camping trips. Each pack possesses a limited caloric count, compelling you to consume multiple packages and supplement with various snacks like Clif Bars or, my personal favorite, Babybel cheeses (which I bring myself). Additionally, one must be mindful of dehydration. The body’s reaction to extreme cold is to decrease blood flow to the skin, which typically leads to less fluid retention. We need to hydrate continuously — with water, cocoa, and coffee — to prevent dehydration.
We can only access the ice every two years with the Navy, so we aim to maximize our time there. In the several days leading up to our field expedition, my research partner Ben and I were intensely preparing our sensor nodes for deployment and likely neglecting to eat and drink regularly. When we traveled to our sensor deployment site about 5 kilometers from camp, I had to learn to slow my pace to avoid sweating under my gear, as perspiration in the extreme cold can quickly lead to hypothermia. I also learned to be more attentive to exposed areas on my face, as I experienced some frostnip around my goggles.
Operating in the Arctic requires a careful balance: you cannot spend excessive time out there, but you also cannot hurry.
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