During their recent Spring break, two Naval Academy students decided to do something a little different. Julie Barca, 23 and Leah Jordan, 22 both decided that they would like to spend two days of their vacation camping in the Arctic.  The two 1^st Class midshipmen spent their Arctic time at a temporary camp set up on the ice of the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Northern Alaska.

While it might seem odd that the pair decided to spend some of their week off in the Arctic, it made perfect sense to them. Jordan had wanted to visit Alaska for awhile, and Barca became interested in the region’s ice after taking a class in meteorology.

The two are oceanography majors and are planning on going into aviation after their May 22^nd commissioning.

“It just seemed too good to be true. I was just interested in oceanography,” Jordan said, “and doing this internship was killing two birds with one stone.”

Barca agreed with Jordan and was eager to use what she has learned in school. “It was just a unique opportunity that presented itself. The biggest thing for me was applying things I learned in the (academy) program.”

While in the Arctic, the naval students were working with researchers who were measuring water pressure under the ice along with the water’s salinity.  The information was being relayed to the USS Annapolis and the USS Helena, two navy subs working with the camp. Jordan and Barca also travelled by helicopter to a buoy further out that sends its reading back to Washington D.C.  As part of an ongoing research project through out the next year, Barca will continue to track and monitor the buoys readings.

While there is a navy presence at the camp, there are also civilians and international researchers there, adding to the mix.

Barca and Jordan are the first midshipmen to travel to the Arctic.