The University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory leads the project, which is no surprise since the lab has conducted more than half of all U.S. Arctic ice camps in the last 25 years. The last ship to sit deliberately in the ice pack was the Fram, a Norwegian vessel that was frozen into the ice in 1893 for the purpose of scientific exploration. The Fram drifted for nearly three years before being able to break free. Canada's Des Groseilliers will be frozen in for a third as long and, come October, will be joined by the Canadian Coast Guard's Louis St. Laurent so that the two icebreakers can work in tandem back toward open water. Although the icebreaker is hundreds of miles from civilization, it is still well connected to the planet.
Satellite links allow for phone, fax and Internet feeds.
Small planes and helicopters bring in crew and supplies from Alaska. An Arctic ice floe holds the Canadian icebreaker Des Groseilliers in its grip. Research huts dot the ice surface as power lines connect them to the ship's generator. Photo by Sandra Hines. On my flight in, the Des Groseilliers was a startling red presence after three hours over snow, ridges of ice and occasional ribbons of open water.