Lomonosov Ridge Off Greenland 2007 (LOMROG) Lomonosov Ridge Off Greenland 2007 (LOMROG) Ff I Ff I Cruise Report
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Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland 2007 (LOMROG) Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland 2007 (LOMROG) i ff i ff Cruise Report Martin Jakobsson, Christian Marcussen and LOMROG Scientific Party () ge Rid off ov G s re o e n n o l a n m n d d o o L L LO M 07 R O G 20 Page left intentionally blank. Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland 2007 (LOMROG) Cruise Report Martin Jakobsson, Christian Marcussen and LOMROG Scientific Party GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF DENMARK AND GREENLAND DANISH MINISTRY OF CLIMATE AND ENERGY GEUS Special Publication, December 2008 Layout: Ines Jakobsson Cover photos: Martin Jakobsson Cover design: Henrik Klinge Print: GEUS Number printed: 150 Price: 200 DKK This report should be cited as: Martin Jakobsson, Christian Marcussen & LOMROG Scientific Party 2008: Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland 2007 (LOMROG) - Cruise Report, 122 pp. Special Publication Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark. © De Nationale Geologiske Undersøgelser for Danmark og Grønland (GEUS), 2008 Øster Voldgade 10 DK-1350 København K Danmark www.geus.dk Phone: +45 38 14 20 00, fax: +45 38 14 20 50, e-mail: [email protected] ISBN 978-87-7871-238-7 This publication has been published in cooperation with the Department of Geology and Geochemistry, Stockholm University. 2 BYRDPOLARRESEARCHCENTER THEOHIOSTATEUNIVERSITY http://www-bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu LOMROG 07 Table of contents Summary 7 Introduction and background 9 Paleoceanography and glacial history 12 Oceanography 12 Tectonic evolution 1 Denmark’s continental shelf project 1 Ice conditions and ship operations 1 Participants 16 References 19 Scientific Methods 20 Multibeam bathymetry 20 Equipment 20 System settings 2 Real time sound velocity measurements at the transducer depth 2 Ship board processing 26 Chirp sonar profiling 26 Equipment 26 System settings 27 Ship board processing 28 Single beam bathymetry from sea ice 28 Equipment 28 Sediment coring 29 Equipment 29 Core curation 0 Multi Sensor Core Logging 0 Physical properties and magnetic susceptibility 0 Color line scan camera 2 Sediment description Dirty sea ice observations Observations and sampling protocol Sample processing CTD and water sampling Data acquisition Ship board processing LOMROG 07 Mercury in Arctic seawater and air Sampling and analytical procedure of total mercury (Hgtot) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) in water Measurements of Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) in air 6 Reflection Seismic 7 Equipment design and constraints 7 Seismic source 8 Streamer 9 Acquisition system 9 Navigation and positioning system 1 Container and equipment setup on Oden 1 Ship board processing Shot numbering and record numbers, navigation, shot time (for Sonobuyos) and geometry Noise Statics Streamer statics Velocities 6 Stacking 6 Migration and depth conversion 7 Test for acquisition parameters 7 Sonobuoy 8 Equipment 8 Gravity measurements 8 Equipment 8 Reference gravity measurements 9 Geodetic GPS measurements 0 Sea Ice thickness 1 Equipment and data acquisition 1 Sea Ice chemistry 2 Equipment and data acquisition 2 Results Multibeam bathymetry Surveying in the ice Experienced technical problems Acquired data 6 Chirp sonar profiling 8 Single beam bathymetry from sea ice 8 Sediment coring 8 During sectioning of core 6 Multi Sensor Core Logging 6 Lithology 67 Dirty sea ice 67 CTD and water sampling 70 Reflection Seismic 71 Sonobuoy 76 Gravity measurements 80 Helicopter gravity program 8 Experience and conclusions 86 Ice drilling and freeboard measurements 86 Appendix I: Core Description 6 Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland 2007 (LOMROG) Summary of studying paleoceanography/ The Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland oceanography, glacial history and was the primary focus for the the tectonic evolution of the of the LOMROG expedition. This part of Arctic Ocean as well as for Denmark’s the Arctic is virtually unexplored as Continental Shelf Project under the difficult sea ice conditions have made United Nations Convention on the it inaccessible for surface vessels. With Law of the Sea Article 76. One of Swedish icebreaker Oden supported the reasons for targeting the ice- by new Russian nuclear icebreaker infested area north of Greenland 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory), was that it likely holds answers to LOMROG managed to reach the key questions regarding the glacial southern most tip of the Lomonosov history of the Arctic Ocean, such as Ridge off Greenland to carry out whether immense ice shelves existed multibeam mapping, subbottom and in the Arctic Ocean during past seismic reflection profiling, gravity glacial periods. To test the hypothesis measurements, geological coring and of a huge Arctic Ocean ice shelf, oceanographic station work. The LOMROG mapped the areas of the LOMROG expedition is a Swedish/ Lomonosov Ridge north of Greenland Danish collaboration project with and Morris Jesup Rise using the new participating scientists also from EM120 multibeam bathymetry and Canada, Finland, and USA. The data SBP120 subbottom profiling system collection was made for the purpose installed on the Oden during the LOMROG 07 7 spring of 2007. Extensive erosion of conditions bathymetric multibeam the seabed was mapped down to water data covering the continental slope depths of approximately 800 m on in various places, 135 km seismic the Southern Lomonosov Ridge and data in Amundsen Basin, 15 km sediment cores were retrieved from the on the Lomonosov Ridge and 165 eroded areas. Shipboard preliminary km off North East Greenland were analyses of this geophysical mapping obtained. Gravity data were acquired data and acquired sediment cores along the ships track using gravimeter suggest that the seabed erosion is on board Oden and on the ice. Ice due to either grounding of icebergs cores were retrieved at 28 stations or an ice shelf, or combination of in order to study the role of the sea both. In addition, the multibeam data ice in the transport of CO2 from the from the Morris Jesup Rise revealed atmosphere to the ocean. During large iceberg scours down to a water LOMROG valuable experience depth of approximately 1050 m. was gained both in relation to the The oceanographic component of use of the newly developed seismic LOMROG investigated the pathways equipment and how to operate under of the Atlantic water and deep water. severe ice conditions in the area north Water masses originating from the of Greenland using two icebreakers. Canadian Basin side, which have A new multibeam survey technique crossed the Lomonosov Ridge at was developed that made it possible about 88°30’N 154°E, were found for Oden alone to collect high-quality following the slope along the southern data in 10/10 ice conditions. This Lomonosov Ridge slope on the technique involves that Oden is spun Amundsen Basin side. The primary around 180° in a “pirouette” while objective of the Danish part of acquiring multibeam data in a sector LOMROG was to collect bathymetric, 360° around the ship equal to the seismic and gravimetric data in the multibeam swath width. After one Amundsen Basin and along the “pirouette” was done, the icebreaker Lomonosov Ridge in order to acquire broke ice using its full capacity to the necessary data according to Article the end of the coverage, where a new 76 in UNCLOS. Despite severe ice pirouette was carried out. Photo 1. Swedish icebreaker Oden and the new Russian icebreaker “0 Let Pobedy” in the hard ice conditions on the Lomonosov Ridge north of Greenland. (Photo Martin Jakobsson). 8 Introduction and background The Swedish Polar Research The Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland Secretariat (SPRS) was contacted with (LOMROG) project was designed to the expedition plans and a proposal study the virtually unexplored area of including the scientific objectives was the submarine Lomonosov Ridge ca submitted to the Swedish Research 350 km north of Greenland (Figure Council (VR) and funded in 2005. 1). The project idea was initiated Simultaneously, the LOMROG by Martin Jakobsson and Christian expedition was included in the budget Marcussen during the IV-ICAM for the Danish Continental shelf (International Conference on Arctic Project. Furthermore, the cruise was Margins) in Halifax, Canada, 2003. incorporated as a component in the The ice conditions north of Greenland Arctic Palaeoclimate and its Extremes are well known to be the toughest in (APEX) research network program the Arctic Ocean and the expedition endorsed by the ICSU/WMO Joint strategy was to reach the southern Committee for the International Polar Lomonosov Ridge by entering the Year 2007-2008 (IPY) as a formal IPY ridge at about 87-88°N and work activity. along its crest towards the south. No research from surface vessels had SPRS initiated the logistical work in previously been carried out in this early 2006 of organizing LOMROG part of the Arctic Ocean. The interest as a Swedish/Danish collaboration in this ice-infested area stems from a project with participating scientists range of scientific questions and the also from Canada, Finland, and fact that Denmark needs to acquire USA. The Swedish icebreaker Oden geophysical data from this region in was decided to be the main research order to put forward a claim for an platform and in order to acquire “extended continental margin” under reflection seismic profiles in the United Nations Convention on the expected hard 10/10 ice conditions Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Article north of Greenland, it was suggested 76. The LOMROG project’s main already at an early stage that one scientific components were to study of the Russian nuclear icebreakers the Arctic Ocean: