There was time for a short break for ice liberty on the Healy.  Initially, a small Coast Guard team did recon of an area on the ice floe that was chosen because of ice thickness.  The specially trained team went out and made sure that it was safe for the rest of us.  Also, two buoys were deployed on the ice to relay information back to land on temperature and movement of the ice.  After the Coast Guard deemed the ice was safe for the group, everyone was allowed off the ship to enjoy a bit of Arctic fun!  As is protocol, the Coast Guard personnel keep watch for Polar bears.

The Coast Guard ice recon group gets ready to survey the thickness of the ice.

Team members going down the steep plank from the Healy to the ice.

Science team members at the bottom of the steep gang plank.

Ocean acidification team on the ice (Jonathan Wynn, Lisa Robbins, Brian Buczkowski, Paul Knorr).

Coast Guard watching for polar bears.

Pablo Clemente-Colon and Steve Liligreen with the buoys. They placed the buoys on the ice to gather data about temperature and location of the ice floe.

Science team member Dan-Dan waves on the ice. Dan-Dan is UNH student from China.