Sea Ice Rescue

Observation: Off the coast in the Arctic Ocean, the high winds pushed the (young) sea ice out and it broke off pretty close to shore, and one whaling crew lost their trail. 3 men had to be rescued by boat (they were drifting on a piece of ice that broke off from their trail) and their equipment, I believe, was rescued by helicopter. One trail made by a whaling crew was lost due to the ice breaking. One whaling captain predicted just two days before the incident that the expected high winds would push the ice out towards the ocean leaving an open lead close to shore. Whalers further north have their trails still intact and are still whaling. It is important because whaling is inherent in our culture and knowing the changing conditions will allow for a more successful whaling season. This images below show before and after the ice broke off. When Jake (Bell) and I spoke with the Search and Rescue Base VP, he said the last major rescue on sea ice was over a decade ago and it isn't common. Most of their rescues involved broken down machines or low fuel. So yes, this is an unusual event. However, one captain predicted this to happen, so perhaps more experienced whalers are adapting to the unpredictability of young sea ice and avoiding traveling during high winds. But even experienced hunters can get into trouble.With that said, Point Hope has currently caught 2 whales and Wainwright just caught a whale today. Our whalers are still trying…one whaler said on FaceBook, he may resort to using an aluminum boat. Heather Dingman, North Slope Borough

LEO says: The images shown above and related video and animations produced using data from a 10 kW X-band marine radar mounted atop the 4-story bank building in downtown Barrow, Alaska, pointed north. The images and more information can be accessed at the UAF Geophysical Institute's Ice Group website.