Today’s research flight was all about leads in Arctic sea ice – fascinating cracks and openings of open water that form due to winds, ocean currents, and stresses within the ice. But they are much more than just gaps: leads play a crucial role in Arctic weather and climate.

Why? Because the open water is significantly warmer than the cold air above it. This causes a continuous release of heat and moisture into the atmosphere. The result: local warming, the formation of clouds and fog – and even the intensification of small weather systems. In short, leads are small but powerful drivers of energy exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere.

To study these processes, we first flew northwest toward the ice edge, passing the stunning mountains and glaciers of Svalbard. The main challenge was to find the right region. Using the latest satellite imagery and a lot of experience, we carefully observed the ice both with our instruments and visually from above.

And then – at the very last moment – we found it: an area with numerous leads, cloud-free and therefore perfect for our dropsonde experiment. Thanks to excellent teamwork between the crew on board and support from the ground, we were able to identify a suitable lead and investigate it using a series of dropsondes released in quick succession.

With stopwatches, calculators, and real-time flight data, we quickly determined the exact timing and position for releasing the sondes. The first results look very promising – a great success!

The plan had been uncertain for a long time, full of question marks. All the greater is the excitement that we managed to turn it into reality. A huge thank you to the entire team – what an amazing flight! 🚀