Oceanography and sedimentation beneath the McMurdo/Ross Ice Shelf in Windless Bight

The water depth, sub-seafloor topography (3.5 kHz transducer), current speed and direction profiles through the water column, conductivity, temperature and water samples for chemistry and suspended particulate matter was all measured through a tidal cycle before sampling the sea floor. 48 mm diameter sediment cores (at least three from each site >50cm long) and grab samples from the top 3-5cm of the sea floor were collected after water column measurements.

Two holes were drilled, 5 and 12 kilometers east of Scott Base. The sites were relatively remote, being covered by ice 70 and 143 m thick and with sea floor 926 and 923 m below sea level. A third site was used south of Scott Base where current to 400 m depth was measured continuously over 3-4 weeks.