Scientific Diving Under Ice: A 40-Year Bipolar Research Tool

Approximately four decades ago, scientists were first able to enter the undersea polar environment to make biological observations for a nominal period of time. The conduct of underwater research in extreme environments requires special consideration of diving physiology, equipment design, diver training, and operational procedures, all of which enable this under-ice approach. Since those first ice dives in wetsuits and double-hose regulators without buoyancy compensators or submersible pressure gauges, novel ice diving techniques have expanded the working envelope based on scientific need to include the use of dive computers, oxygen-enriched air, rebreather units, blue-water diving, and drysuit systems. The 2007 International Polar Diving Workshop in Svalbard promulgated consensus polar diving recommendations through the combined international, interdisciplinary expertise of participating polar diving scientists, equipment manufacturers, physiologists and decompression experts, and diving safety officers. The National Science Foundation U.S. Antarctic Program scientific diving exposures, in support of underwater research, enjoy a remarkable safety record and high scientific productivity due to a significant allocation of logistical support and resources to ensure personnel safety.