First access to the ocean beneath Ekströmisen, Antarctica, by means of hot-water drilling

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Abstract
A hot-water drill developed during the past 2 years at Alfred-Wegener- Institut was used to penetrate Ekströmisen several times near the German wintering-over base, Neumayer (70°39´S, 08° 15´W). The drilling operation was very successful and the initial large diameter (≥ 35 cm) allowed easy access to the ocean. One hole was used to install an ultrasonic echo-sounder which recorded the ablation at the ice-shelf bottom continuously. Another hole was destined for emplacement of a thermistor string throughout the 237 m thick ice shelf for ice-temperature measurements. Several CTD profiles in the 175 m deep water column and the analysis of water samples provided valuable data for the understanding of ice-shelf-ocean interactions.