Winter navigation in the Northern Sea Route using RADARSAT data

Polar Record ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 36 (199) ◽  
pp. 335-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitali Yu. Alexandrov ◽  
Stein Sandven ◽  
Ola M. Johannessen ◽  
Lasse H. Pettersson ◽  
Øyvind Dalen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Pixel Size ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Sar Images ◽  
Northern Sea Route ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Ice Navigation ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Wide Swath

AbstractThe results are presented of the first winter ice navigation demonstration, using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from the Canadian satellite RADARSAT, onboard the nuclear icebreaker Sovetskiy Soyuz in the Kara Sea region in April–May 1998. While ERS SAR data only could cover part of the sea ice in this large area, the demonstration showed that RADARSAT ScanSAR images with 100 m pixel size could be used to map all relevant ice areas with a few 500 × 500 km scenes. SAR images transferred onboard icebreakers in near real time offer an excellent possibility to select optimal sailing routes in difficult ice conditions such as those that were encountered by this expedition. SAR images were also used for planning of operations prior to the expedition. This study compares sub-satellite sea-ice observations with RADARSAT SAR as well as Okean side-looking radar (SLR) signatures of the major ice types and features found in the Kara Sea during winter. Wide-swath SAR images will become available from several new satellites in the near future, such as Envisat, scheduled in 2001, and RADARSAT-2, in 2002. Satellite SAR images will therefore play an increasingly important role in operational ice monitoring both in the Northern Sea Route and in other ice areas.

scholarly journals Analysis of ice conditions of year-round navigation of Arc7 vessels in the southwestern part of the Kara Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-248
Author(s):  
T. A. Alekseeva ◽  
S. V. Frolov ◽  
V. Ye. Fedyakov ◽  
E. I. Makarov ◽  
E. U. Mironov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Southwestern Part ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Sea Route ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Ice Regime ◽  
Ice Navigation ◽  
New Generation ◽  
Hydrometeorological Conditions

Since 2006, a new generation of reinforced ice class Arc7 vessels has been operating on the Northern Sea Route. Safe and efficient sailing of this type of vessels in sea ice demands a detailed study of ice conditions. Accumulation and analysis of data on ice and hydrometeorological conditions for the entire Arctic in comparison with ice conditions along the route of vessels is an essential part of the development of optimal variants and optimal routes for ice navigation.The main aim of the study was to generalize the conditions of ice navigation of Norilskiy Nickel vessels along the optimal navigational routes in the south-western part of the Kara Sea. Based on the reports on sailing obtained from vessels of the “Norilskiy Nickel” type for the 2006–2014 period, we calculated the probability of choosing the optimal route along the Murmansk – Dudinka passage: through the Kara Gate Strait (seaward, central or coastal route) or the north of Cape Zhelaniya. During the year, vessels move predominantly through the Kara Gate. However, for three month per year, from April to June, the most appropriate route lies to the north of the Zhelaniya Cape. In April – May it is, on average, every second navigation, and in June – more than 80 % of all navigation. The features of the ice regime determining the choice of the specific navigation route, are described. The speeds of vessels of the “Norilskiy Nickel” type along various navigation routes in drifting sea ice of the Kara Sea are calculated. The fastest speed in drifting ice was recorded in the winter navigations of 2007–2008 and 2011–2012, in the January-May of these years the average speed was 10.2 and 11.2, correspondingly. The minimum speed in these years, even during the months of maximum ice cover growth, was not less than 4.8 knots. In other years, the average speeds were in the range of 9.2–9.8 knots. During the whole period of study, ice conditions that were extremely difficult for navigation formed three times: at the end of May 2009, at the end of March 2010 and in the middle of March 2011, these are considered in more detail in the present article.

scholarly journals Performance of a multiscale correlation algorithm for the estimation of sea-ice drift from SAR images: initial results

2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (57) ◽  
pp. 311-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Hollands ◽  
Wolfgang Dierking
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Displacement Vector ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Image Resolution ◽  
Displacement Fields ◽  
Sar Images ◽  
High Entropy ◽  
Ice Drift ◽  
Sea Ice Drift ◽  
Ice Conditions

AbstractSea-ice drift fields were obtained from sequences of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images using a method based on pattern recognition. the accuracy of the method was estimated for two image products of the Envisat Advanced SAR (ASAR) with 25 m and 150 m pixel size. For data from the winter season it was found that 99% of the south–north and west–east components of the determined displacement vector are within ±3–5 pixels of a manually derived reference dataset, independent of the image resolution. For an image pair with 25 m resolution acquired during summer, the corresponding value is 12 pixels. Using the same resolution cell dimensions for the displacement fields in both image types, the estimated displacement components differed by 150–300 m. the use of different texture parameters for predicting the performance of the algorithm dependent on ice conditions and image characteristics was studied. It was found that high entropy values indicate a good performance.

Use of L- and C-Band SAR Satellites for Sea Ice and Iceberg Monitoring (LC-ICE)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Dierking ◽  
Malcolm Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
Automated Classification ◽  
Sar Images ◽  
Mutual Cooperation ◽  
Current State ◽  
L Band ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Wide Swath

<p>In support of ESA's Mission Advisory Group for ROSE-L (Radar Observing System for Europe at L-band), a project team consisting of members of operational ice services and the International Ice Charting Working Group,  the International Ice Patrol, and groups from universities and research institutes is investigating the benefits of using data from L-band SAR in addition to C-band SAR imagery for separating different sea ice classes and detecting icebergs. The tasks are: (1) a critical assessment of the current state-of-the-art in sea ice monitoring and iceberg detection, (2) matching C- and L-band SAR images acquired with temporal gaps of several hours, (3) tests and assessments of the practical use of L-band images in the operational mapping services, and (4) comparison of classification accuracies that can be achieved at C-band, L-band, and a combination of both, based on the results of automated segmentation and classification algorithms. Based on the suggestions of operational ice centers, data have been collected since April 2019 over six test sites for the Northern Hemisphere: Fram Strait, Belgica Bank, northern and southern parts of Greenland, Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea. The SAR images are acquired by Sentinel-1 at Extra Wide and Interferomeric Wide Swath modes, by RADARSAT-2 at ScanSAR mode, and by ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 at Wide Beam and Fine Beam modes. The PALSAR-2 data are provided through the 2019 to 2022 mutual cooperation project between ESA and JAXA on using SAR data in earth sciences and applications. The presentation - with contributions from project partners - will focus on the conclusions from the literature review, assessments of operational ice services regarding the gain they find in using L-band SAR images supplementary to routinely analyzed C-band imagery, and preliminary results of automated classification. </p>

scholarly journals Retrieval of the thickness of undeformed sea ice from simulated C-band compact polarimetric SAR images

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1529-1545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Zhang ◽  
Wolfgang Dierking ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Junmin Meng ◽  
Haitao Lang
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
First Year ◽  
Polarimetric Sar ◽  
Sar Images ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Level Ice ◽  
Ice Surface Roughness

Abstract. In this paper we introduce a parameter for the retrieval of the thickness of undeformed first-year sea ice that is specifically adapted to compact polarimetric (CP) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The parameter is denoted as the "CP ratio". In model simulations we investigated the sensitivity of the CP ratio to the dielectric constant, ice thickness, ice surface roughness, and radar incidence angle. From the results of the simulations we deduced optimal sea ice conditions and radar incidence angles for the ice thickness retrieval. C-band SAR data acquired over the Labrador Sea in circular transmit and linear receive (CTLR) mode were generated from RADARSAT-2 quad-polarization images. In comparison with results from helicopter-borne measurements, we tested different empirical equations for the retrieval of ice thickness. An exponential fit between the CP ratio and ice thickness provides the most reliable results. Based on a validation using other compact polarimetric SAR images from the same region, we found a root mean square (rms) error of 8 cm and a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.94 for the retrieval procedure when applying it to level ice between 0.1 and 0.8 m thick.

scholarly journals Climate variability of the Kara sea ice massifs

2017 ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. O. Karklin ◽  
A. V. Yulin ◽  
M. V. Sharatunova ◽  
L. Р. Mоchnova
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Marine Applications ◽  
First Time

The difficulty of ice conditions and their impact on various marine applications are mainly related to fluctuations in ice massifs areas that are subject not only to interannual, but also to climate variability. The article presents for the first time the analysis of the areas of the Kara Sea ice massifs in the summer during for the “cold” (1954–1985) and “warm” (1986–2017) climatic periods in the Arctic. The typical changes in ice massifs areas and frequency of their absence in different climatic periods can be used to characterize the predicted type of ice conditions in the Kara Sea.

scholarly journals Seasonal timeline for snow-covered sea ice processes in Nunavik's Deception Bay from TerraSAR-X and time-lapse photography

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Dufour-Beauséjour ◽  
Anna Wendleder ◽  
Yves Gauthier ◽  
Monique Bernier ◽  
Jimmy Poulin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Solid Precipitation ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
X Band ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Caribou Hunting ◽  
Time Lapse Photography

Abstract. Inuit have reported greater inter-annual variability in seasonal sea ice conditions. For Deception Bay (Nunavik), an area prized for seal and caribou hunting, an increase in solid precipitation and a shorter snow cover period is expected in the near future. In this context, and considering ice-breaking transport in the fjord by mining companies, we monitored sea ice in the area for three seasons of ice between 2015 and 2018. This article presents a case study for the combined use of TerraSAR- X and time-lapse photography time-series in order to monitor snow-covered sea ice seasonal processes. The X-band median backscattering is shown to reproduce the seasonal evolution expected from C-band data. Two different freeze-up and breakup processes are characterized. New X-band backscattering values from newly formed ice types are reported. The monitoring approach presented in this article has the potential to be applied in other remote locations, and processes outlined here may inform our understanding of other fjords or bays where ice-breakers transit.

scholarly journals Formation of the stages of sea ice development composition in the south-western part of the Kara sea during autumn-winter season

2017 ◽  
pp. 16-26
Author(s):  
V. Р. Karklin ◽  
S. V. Hotchenkov ◽  
A. V. Yulin ◽  
V. М. Smolyanitsky
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
First Year ◽  
Climatic Period ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Fast Ice ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Southwest Part

On a basis of the analysis of archived ice charts for 1997–2017 calculations of changes in the stages of sea ice development composition in southwest part of the Kara Sea during the autumn and winter period are executed. The obtained data allowed establishing the changes in quantity (area) and corresponding thicknesses with 10 days discretization for all stages of sea ice development and the periods of their prevalence from the beginning till the end of ice formation. The essential distinctions between the stages of ice development composition for drifting and fast ice exhibiting in an earlier appearance and different relative quantity of the first year ice within the fast ice zone are revealed. Such studies were not performed earlier. Its results supplement ice conditions characteristics southwest in the part of the Kara Sea during the “warm” climatic period.

Agree – Disagree: Comparing Traffic Limitations in the Kara Sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Kim ◽  
Nabil Panchi
Keyword(s):  
Water Area ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
International Maritime Organization ◽  
Automatic Identification ◽  
Identification System ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Northern Sea Route ◽  
Indexing System ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
System Data

Abstract This study investigates variability of ships’ operational limitations for ice conditions in view of national rules and international recommendations (the Rules for Navigation in the Water Area of the Northern Sea Route and the International Maritime Organization Recommendations). As an example, the Kara Sea region is considered for the period of 2017–2019. The ship data from two datasets were considered: (1) the Northern Sea Route Administration data and (2) the Automatic Identification System data. For each ship’s ice class, the ice information (concentration and type) was used to derive operational limitations based on the Polar Operational Limit Assessment Risk Indexing System (POLARIS), and the results were compared with the newly updated Northern Sea Route access criteria. Preliminary results indicate that national rules are generally stricter than international recommendations, however on some occasions, the national rules impose lesser restrictions on operations as ships with ice class PC7/Arc4 are allowed to operate when the international recommendations suggest an elevated probability of an accidental event.

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