8/10-14

Position: 88 44.6' N, 178 26' E, temperature - 15 C, air pressure 1028 hPa, wind 14 knots from N. Ice drift 0.2 knots towards NW. Based on the anticipated hard bottom from the coring attempt and the 3.5 kHz image of the seabed, we lowered the dredge in 2325 meter water depth. Increased ice drift gave a wire angle and during ascent the Kevlar line cut into the side of the hydro hole. When the dredge came up under the ice we could not recover it, but could see that it was empty. We had to cut the line and leave the dredge until time allowed recovery. As the water depth shallowed relatively fast, our immediate concern was the current meter hanging from the ice at 2000 meter depth would soon hit the bottom topography. The Kevlar line had a plastic tube ( 2 cm diameter) protection through the ice and with 3 liters of hot water it came loose. We man hauled the line the first hundred meter and hooked on to the geology winch. Raised the current meter (10909) to 1050 meter and
secured. The job took 4 hours. Deployed Ilker Fer's string of 30 thermistors, one for every 10 meter down to 300 meter depth.