OpenMetBuoy

Ruth Mottram (Senior Climate Scientist, Danish Meteorological Institute, OCEAN ICE project)

Local Hunter, Gustav Simigaq with an OpenMetBuoy in Northern Greenland

“We work on the interactions between ice sheets and ocean in Northern Greenland. This is a photo of an OpenMetBuoy (OMB), which communicates using Iridium satellites, sending data on movement, ice break-up and temperature from the fjords, well inside the sea ice zone. We weren’t sure how to safely deploy them on the sea ice initially, as, although they float, they are really designed to be used in the open ocean away from sea ice. Working together with the local hunters, Peter and Qillaq Danielsen and Gustav Simigaq who take us out to our field sites on the sea ice in their dogsleds, we came up with this solution.”

Ruth Mottram (Senior Climate Scientist, Danish Meteorological Institute, OCEAN ICE project)

A solution for retrieving an OpenMetBuoy (OMB) in Northern Greenland

“Peter and Gustav made us some nets, using the same type that they usually make to hunt seabirds like puffins to eat. While knotting them together, they were able to tie the OMBs onto big orange boat fenders. These float and are easy to spot from a distance and we could drill them into the sea ice. We added a solid length of chain on the end to keep them upright and transmitting in the water and they were ready to go. These instruments even made it through the sea ice melt season and our hunter colleagues in northern Greenland were able to go out and retrieve them from the water in their fishing boats in summer, ready to deploy again the following year."