Measurements of sea ice physical properties and ice strain and wave pattern generated by a load moving over sea ice near Tent Island, McMurdo Sound

The strain signals were recorded as separate channels on a 4-channel chart recorder set in most cases to run at 30cm/min. Two moving loads were used, an extended cab Ford pick up (2100kg) and a US Navy C130 Hercules aircraft (50,000kg). The strain was recorded for the truck when it was moving at 10, 20, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 mph (measured from the trucks speedometer).

The strain was recorded when the aircraft flew at 50 feet altitude and at 100, 130 and 160 knot speeds. Actual speeds were recorded using the laser survey marked flag points and calculating speed by distance travelled in a given time. A strainmeter at the roadside and parallel to the vehicles path gave the amplitude and phase information to enable interpretation of data from the distant sites.

The physical properties of sea ice were also measured from cores taken at four locations in the vicinity of the strainmeter sites including salinity, temperature and structure of the sea ice.