Ice Tethered Profilers (ITP) Arctic Program
The Ice Tethered Profiler (ITP) Program is an ambitious endeavor that deploys sensors through holes in the Arctic ice to measure the ocean’s properties a few hundred meters below. This region is crucial for understanding climate change, yet it has historically suffered from a lack of scientific data needed to fully comprehend the changes occurring there. Indeed, strategically positioned between the United States and Russia, the Arctic Ocean represents an extremely important body of water that warrants thorough study and understanding.
The ITP Program has the following funders and collaborators we would like to thank:
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) who we worked with directly to incorporate the new D-2 CTD’s onto now three ITP deployments. They have been deploying our CTD Profiler: https://www.d-2.com/ctd_profiler_ocean/
Primary funding for the Ice Tethered Profilers ITP project has been provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs (OPP).
Other Contributors to the Ice Tethered Profilers (ITP) Program:
- Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada,
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Naval Postgraduate School
- Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, North Pole Environmental Observatory
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research Germany
- European Union; (DAMOCLES) Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long Term Environmental Studies
- Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute Russia
- Scottish Marine Institute
- International Arctic Research Center, Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational Systems
- EUMETSAT Ocean & Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility
The image on the right shows the latest positions of the D-2 Inc. ITP CTD’s: T11, T14, and T15. These sensors, along with the ITP profiler, descend daily through the Arctic Ocean. In doing so, they provide critical climate change data from a previously inaccessible region of the world.
“Analogous to the international Argo float program that is employing autonomous profiling floats to return real-time seawater property data from the temperate oceans, we are working together with fellow North American, European and Asian investigators to maintain a loose array of ITPs and other similar instruments throughout the ice-covered Arctic. We hope that the analysis of data from these instruments will lead to better understanding of the Arctic Ocean’s response and role in global climate change.” – Source: https://www2.whoi.edu/site/itp/
Data Output is Live
Currently, D-2 CTDs are deployed on three Ice Tethered Profiler systems in the Arctic Ocean, and the data they collect is accessible online at any time. These sensors surface several times daily, transmitting the gathered data via satellite for internet upload. Consequently, ITP sensors contribute to ongoing Climate Change Research with near real-time data.
Links to the Live Current Sensors:
ITP TOP11 Data...
ITP TOP14 Data...
Ice Tethered Profilers (ITP) Arctic TOP15 Data...
As the above indicates the D-2 CTD is now capable of providing accurate and repeatable salinity aka conductivity data, temperature date and pressure data for the Ocean even in the harshest environments such as through a hole in an iceberg as these Ice Tethered Profilers are being used.
The D-2 CTD’s in this application are providing unique benefits that other CTD’s in the industry do not. For one we are able to provide closed field conductivity precision without the use of a pump. This makes our CTD footprint and power consumption much less than the other CTD’s used for this application. Thus making it easier to lower the ITP through the ice, lessen the power consumption making the onboard battery system last longer and while providing the most accurate data possible.
It is important to understand Climate Change and therefore it is extremely important to use CTD’s to measure this phenomena from various companies to ensure that scientists are receiving data that is not biased by one companies equipment. Competition in equipment will provide for better and more accurate results from the field.
Images of Ice Tethered Profilers (ITP) Arctic Program:
All Field Images and Data Sourced from: https://www2.whoi.edu/site/itp/