ICEX-09 XCTD Test

Test deployments of under-ice submarine-launched eXpendable Conductivity Temperature Depth (U/ISSXCTD) probes were conducted by the US Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory (ASL) during the 2009 Navy ICe EXercise (ICEX-09) in the Arctic Ocean. These tests were conducted in order to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of XCTD probes when launched from submarines while operating under sea ice, and thus their suitability for further use in the SCICEX program of Science Accommodation Missions (SAMs) in the Arctic Ocean. 16 U/ISSXCTD probes were available for test deployment during ICEX-09. Of these, 2 probes
failed pre-launch tests and were not launched, 2 were deployed but failed to return data, and the remaining 12 returned acceptable data, but over depth ranges significantly shorter than stated in the manufacturer’s specifications. Funding for the ICEX-09 XCTD testing was provided by Office of Naval Research grant N00014-09-M-0056 to the Scotttish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).