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Looking across the ice towards the Great Bend
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Okay, so no one says that but they might as well... I mean, whoever heard of a
body of salt water this far from the poles freezing? That’s what was
going through my head as I drove our 20’ aluminum boat into the icy sheet last
winter.
It started out as a normal, albeit cold, field day for the
Oceanic Remote Chemical Analyzer (ORCA) team. We launched the M/V
Mackinaw at Twanoh State Park and drove out to our research buoy in Lynch Cove
to replace the CTD package and repair the winch control box. We thought
we were prepared for a cold day on the water, armed with extra layers, beanies,
scarves and multiple pairs of wool socks, but then the snow started. I
always seem to forget how difficult it is to do precise, mechanical work on
cold metal instruments with cold metal tools, while constantly being splashed
by cold, cold water. The work was taking much longer than anticipated
with all of this cold on cold. When we eventually finished the required
maintenance I pointed the boat toward the ORCA Hoodsport buoy where we were
scheduled to work on the router. As we turned around Sisters Point I
noticed a definite line on the water surface ahead of me. “Weird, that looks
just like…” CRUNCH!!!
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Standing on the bow of the M/V Mackinaw as we try to push
our way through the ice
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Before I could even finish my thought we were startled with a sudden crash as the Mackinaw tried pushing through a sheet
of ice. I slowed down and carefully
backed us out through the path we had just cut, and then motored along the
margin to see if there was any way through.
No luck. A flock of seagulls
stood on the ice and watched us while we made a call and sent photos to our incredulous
supervisor at the University of Washington.
There was no way we’d be able to continue. We couldn’t see the end of the ice sheet and
even if we made it through we’d lose too much daylight to get any work done. After a few more minutes playing with the chunks
of ice that had broken free of the sheet, we headed back to Twanoh to get our
boat out of the cold water.
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Snapping some photos while we wait for confirmation to call
it a day
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Encountering ice in Hood Canal surprised our group but
apparently it’s not that strange. Fresh water
that flows from the Skokomish River into Hood Canal tends to float on top of
the denser salt water, creating a thin fresh layer. When temperatures drop this layer can freeze,
just like any body of fresh water. If
temperatures stay low for long enough, the ice sheet can reach from shore to
shore like we witnessed... I’ve even heard stories of people driving wagons
across the canal in previous centuries!
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Holding up a piece of our Hood Canal ice sheet
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