2023-02-24: Guest post from Leif Eriksson, Chalmers
We are now five days into the cruise in the Gulf of Bothnia and have been able to run several missions with Ran and a small airborne drone. We receive new satellite images once or twice per day, CTD data and water samples are collected frequently and meteorological data are registered continuously on Skagerak. The picture below show the first launch of Ran.For launch and recovery we need open water, but we send Ran on missions under the sea ice. Ice conditions change rapidly with wind and temperature so we have had to change position a few times to find suitable ice conditions. The picture below shows one of the transits through the rapidly growing new ice
Our first launch of Ran (photo taken by Leif Eriksson).
Transit through the rapidly growing new ice (photo Denis Demchev).