DRIFT DIRECTION CHANGES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SEA ICE MANAGEMENT

摘要

As the focus on hydrocarbon exploration and production in high Arctic environments increases, there is a need to develop and assess operational ice management procedures applicable to these areas. Particularly in water depths exceeding 100 m, bottom-founded structures are not a viable option and stationary floating vessels will likely be used. Ice management in the form of icebreakers is a key component for station-keeping by reducing floe sizes upstream to decrease subsequent loads on the floating vessel. Drift changes in the Beaufort Sea can be frequent and complete drift reversals can occur in only a few hours. The highly dynamic nature of ice drift can be problematic when maintaining a managed ice channel for a station-keeping vessel. This paper assesses ice drift characteristics based on an analysis of Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler and Ice Profiling Sonar data collected in the Beaufort Sea from 1990 to 2003 and identifies quantitative measures of drift direction change.