Water Pressure Variations Under the Arctic Sea Ice

Abstract:

This project was to investigate how ocean tidal pressure might influence an already stressed fault to rupture and cause mini “ice quakes” in the arctic sea ice just offshore from Utqiagvik, Alaska. A SparkFun MS5803 pressure sensor was made weather- and water-proof using clear epoxy and pvc components. This was placed under the ~1.8m thick sea ice in early March of 2020. An Arduino microcontroller at the surface acquired data (via wire) from the sensor every 0.10 second. The sensor was left in place for ~26 minutes, a time that was shorter than planned due to the sudden occurrence of a days-long blizzard. The sensor recorded differences that may have been due to the approaching storm front. Later, two of the same sensors were deployed in the New River in Radford, Virginia. One sensor was placed in the water and the other sensor was above the water. In both settings (Arctic and Appalachian Mountains) the data were analyzed to determine influences on the water pressure including that of local air pressure. These correlations will be discussed, along with the measurement capabilities of using two sensors instead of one. The relatively simple sensor setup with the Arduino and data logger will be presented.