Operations in ice infested waters for transportation or resource development requires timely knowledge of the ice environment. In many case, the addition of ice management to operations leads to a lower risk of ice impact. Both tactical and historical knowledge of the ice environment can be achieved cost effectively using Earth Observation (EO). The prevalence of new satellites, changing data policy and state of the art communications systems translates into new opportunities to use EO in tactical Arctic operations. The mapping and monitoring of ice infested regions represents a key application area for EO, in particular, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions. The all-weather day-and-night observation capability, coupled with the harsh Arctic environment, often make radar the only reliable information source. Spaceborne SAR mapping of ice has been available since the 1970s, although routine SAR monitoring of ice was only made possible in the 1990s with the launch of ESA's ERS-1 in 1992. With the increased availability of near-real-time acquisition, higher resolution satellites and the prevalence of higher bandwidth communications systems, SAR can be now used more effectively by the industry for tactical ice management. The increasing prevalence of SAR, along with lower data costs and more flexible data policies will lead to increased use by the industry into the future. SAR use in sea ice mapping and characterization is a well known application used by national ice centres for ice charting. Satellites with increased resolution and multi-polarization can provide increased value to the industry by providing increased detail on sea ice features (ridges, stamukhas and rubble). SAR is also very effective at detection and monitoring of icebergs, both for tactical and strategic purposes. Recently launched SARs are now available that can detect bergy bits and growlers with a probability of detection that can exceed that of comparable airborne and ship-based microwave radar. This paper provides an outline of the value of EO for tactical operations by showing how EO can be used to lower the risk to structures. Several recent examples from the authors will be used to show the utility of EO for operational use.
展开▼
