Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) Second Pilot Study,
March - May 1972: A Documentary Film

Summary

The project described in this documentary was a pilot study conducted in 1972 in preparation for the AIDJEX main experiment of 1975 to 1976.  The study included a main camp on drifting sea ice in the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska along with two satellite camps forming a station triangle with a 100 km side length.  A detailed description of the observational program and a running account of the results can be found in the AIDJEX Bulletin series published between 1970 and the end of the project in 1978.  The Bulletin is accessible in hard copy in the Roger G. Barry Archive and Resource Center (ARC) at NSIDC.  The Polar Science Center at the University of Washington maintains an AIDJEX electronic library. It includes downloadable copies of the contents of all 40 AIDJEX Bulletins, AIDJEX Operations Manuals for the Pilot Study and the Main Experiment, and other resources. 

The film was produced by Hannes Zell and Dieter Wittich of Vienna, Austria under an arrangement with the AIDJEX Project Office at the University of Washington.  The transfer of the original 16 mm film to electronic medium was performed by Victory Studios of Seattle, Washington, USA.  The digital copy was donated to NSIDC by Dr. Norbert Untersteiner, AIDJEX Project Director, and is available via DVD.

Citing These Data

The following example shows how to cite the use of this data set in a publication. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.

Untersteiner, N. 2008. Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) Second Pilot Study, March - May 1972: A Documentary Film. National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, CO. http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N5RB72JM

Overview Table
 

Category	Description
Data format	DVD
Geographic coverage	Southernmost latitude: 72° N Northernmost latitude: 80° N Easternmost longitude: 125° W Westernmost longitude: 165° W
Temporal coverage	March - May 1972
Parameters	Sea ice Sea ice movement
Metadata access	View metadata
Procedures for obtaining copies	Contact NSIDC User Services

Table of Contents

1. Contacts
2. Overview
3. Obtaining Copies
4. Related Data Collections
5. References and Related Publications
6. Acknowledgements
7. Document Information

1. Contacts

2. Background Information

The Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) program was the largest western sea ice experiment constructed specifically to answer emerging questions about how sea ice moves and changes in response to the influence of ocean and atmosphere. AIDJEX brought together several nations and institutions that had a common goal to reach a basic understanding of the air, sea, and ice.  The pilot study in 1972 was followed by the AIDJEX field program in 1975 and 1976.

Researchers maintained four, manned camps on ice floes in the Beaufort Sea.  On 21 February 1972, the first crew arrived to begin construction of the camp.  Seventy-five scientists and support staff were housed in the camp.  The scientists collected meteorological and oceanographic data from instruments located at the camps and on floating data buoys. The experiment was designed to collect coordinated measurements over at least one year, in order to have the right combination of data for understanding atmosphere and ice interactions.

The University of Washington led the logistics and research work of the program, which was a collaboration between the United States, Canada, and Japan. Norbert Untersteiner was instrumental in the design of AIDJEX and served as Project Director from 1971 to 1978.

Geographical Coverage

The main camp was located 500 km north of Barrow, Alaska, USA and along with two satellite camps, formed a triangle with sides about 100 km in length.  The geographic area covered in the film footage is approximately as follows:

Southernmost latitude:	72° N
Northernmost latitude:	80° N
Easternmost longitude:	125° W
Westernmost longitude:	165° W

Temporal Coverage

This film covers March to May 1972.

Format

The film is available on DVD and has a running time of 51:33 minutes. It was originally transferred to electronic media by Victory Studios of Seattle, Washington, USA.

Film Annotations

The table below provides a description of the contents of the film with timestamps for each section.

Timestamp of Film (minutes)	Annotation
12:45 – 17:30	Dr. Norbert Untersteiner, Director of AIDJEX, describes the project goals.
18:42 – 21:47	Dr. Wilson Goddard, University of California, speaks about their team’s project to measure the stability of the pack ice.
22:13 – 24:20	Dr. Hans Weber, Geophysicist, Canadian Department of Energy, Mines and Resources explains his team’s project to measure ocean surface tilt.
25:00 – 28:45	Dr. Kenneth Hunkins, Geophysicist, Columbia University, describes the project to measure oceanographic parameters in the Arctic Ocean.
29:30 – 33:30	Professor Lawrence Coachman, Oceanographer, University of Washington, discusses his team’s project to measure deep ocean flow.
34:40 – 40:25	University of Washington graduate student Alan Thorndike describes his experiment to measure ice deformation. (39:10 – 39:40 movement of ice; great visual)
40:55 – 42:08	Dr.  Tadashi Tabata, University of Hokkaido, Japan, explains his observations of internal ice stress.
42:52 – 45:32	Patrick Martin, University of Washington, AIDJEX Office, describes the function and use of automatic data buoys.
46:41 – 49:58	Dr. Untersteiner relates the results of the pilot study.

 

3. Obtaining Copies

Digitized copies of the film are available on DVD.  To place an order, contact NSIDC User Services.

4. Related Data Collections

The following related data collection is available on NSIDC's Web site.

• Arctic Ocean Drift Tracks from Ships, Buoys and Manned Research Stations, 1872-1973

5. References and Related Publications

References

Unterseiner, N., Thorndike, A.S., Rothrock, D.A., and Hunkins, K.L. 2007.  AIDJEX Revisited: A Look Back at the U.S.-Canadian Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment 1970 – 1978. Arctic 60, no. 3: 327-336.

Related Publications
 

Document	Description	URL
The Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX)	NSIDC's overview of AIDJEX with links and photos	http://nsidc.org/data/aidjex/
AIDJEX Electronic Library	University of Washington Web site containing links to copies of AIDJEX Bulletins, Operation Manuals, and other documents	http://psc.apl.washington.edu/aidjex/
AIDJEX Revisited: A Look Back at the U.S.-Canadian Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment 1970 – 1978	Unterseiner's paper on AIDJEX in PDF format from Arctic 60, no. 3	http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic60-3-327.pdf

6. Acknowledgements

NSIDC would like to acknowledge Dr. Norbert Untersteiner for his contribution of the film and his efforts to make it available.  We also acknowledge the University of Washington Polar Science Center for their financial support of digitization of the original film.

7. Document Information

Document Author

Allaina Wallace

Document Creation Date

December 2008

Document URL

http://nsidc.org/data/docs/noaa/g02183_aidjex/index.html