Scientists from the physical oceanography Dept at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, at work on the stern deck of the Arctic Sunrise. They launch an 'XBT' -an expendable bathy thermograph- which measures temperature over depth. The device is particularly useful for areas where a conventional CTD cannot be deployed due to ice cover. The weighted probe unspools itself as it sinks in the water leaving a connection to the launcher via thin copper wire transmitting the temperature data.