160309-N-QA919-099 ARCTIC CIRCLE (March 9, 2016) Lt. Mitchell Nelson, assigned to the Naval Post Graduate School, and Hector Castillo, with Arctic Submarine Laboratory, drill a hole in the Arctic ice to begin testing the water's temperature and salinity. The team will be deploying a vertical line array that will be used in an acoustics project for sound propagation research during Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016. ICEX 2016 is a five-week exercise designed to research, test, and evaluate operational capabilities in the region. ICEX 2016 allows the U.S. Navy to assess operational readiness in the Arctic, increase experience in the region, advance understanding of the Arctic Environment, and develop partnerships and collaborative efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler N. Thompson)