Expedition log by MBARI Senior Research Specialist Jenny Paduan

A storm was predicted for August 30 with wind gusts of 60 knots and 2.5 meters (over eight feet) swells near the Canadian Beaufort coast, where we have been working. This inspired the captain to take the IBRV Araon into the dense field of sea ice to seek shelter from the swells, and inside the ship, we were cozily protected from the wind and blowing snow. Unfortunately, some coastal communities here didn’t fare so well. As we weathered out the storm, we were ironically holding station over our high-priority science site, which has been unavailable to us for deploying any of our vehicles due to the ice cover.

The storm cleared, and eventually, so did the cloudy skies. We were treated to the spectacular aurora borealis (also known as the “northern lights”) that lit the sky from horizon to horizon overnight on September 2 and 3.