The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy hosted a crew of scientists and oil spill experts during an Arctic Technology Evaluation, an exercise conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center in support of the Coast Guard's broader effort known as Arctic Shield 2014.

A rain shower through Unimak Pass in the Aleutian Islands provided a beautiful rainbow for observers on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy.

A rain shower through Unimak Pass in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

Recovering the Puma unmanned aircraft after testing its ability to detect simulated oil among ice in the Arctic in August 2014.

The Healy crew directs the lowering of the Wave Glider into the water. The glider is powered by the ocean waves and can stay out at sea for long periods of time, providing real-time oceanographic data.

The Healy crew manages the ship's anchor as the ship stops off the coast of Nome to test systems before heading north to the edge of the Arctic sea ice.

U.S. Coast Guard small boat returning to the Healy after a technology demonstration in the Arctic.

NOAA's Puma unmanned aerial system is launched by hand off the Healy's flight deck.

On its way to the Arctic, the Healy, the Coast Guard's newest icebreaker, faced its share of rough seas.

The U.S. Coast Guard ice breaker Healy doing what it does best in the Arctic.

Even though it was summer, the Arctic weather often included freezing rain, fog, and high winds. Here, Healy researchers on the flight deck take advantage of the clear weather in August of 2014.

The balloon in the upper center of the photo is approximately 300 feet in the air in heavy fog. It is tethered to the large box on the left on the ship's flight deck. A camera on the balloon can take photos and video of potential oil in the water and on the ice.

These iSphere buoys will be placed on ice floes to track their movement, which is important if the floes are covered in oil. The buoys can also be placed in an oil slick to track its movement on the water's surface.

In addition to their location, the buoys also record sea surface temperature, which is important in determining oil behavior.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy's Arctic Survey Boat was modified to test new technologies to better outfit it in Arctic conditions, including heated windows, anti-fogging film, and heaters for the boat's systems.

The Gavia automated underwater vehicle (AUV) is gently placed in the water. It will be sent under the ice to map and provide images of the underside of ice floes. The older ice has deep topography that can potentially trap oil. This system would provide important information for responders to know if oil was caught under the ice in the event of an Arctic oil spill.