Use of drones for sea ice observations

During the CAATEX KV Svalbard cruise 14/8–9/9, 2019 to the North Pole, NORCE operated a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which was used to collect high-precision optical imagery, providing information about ice morphology and sea-ice properties. Furthermore, NORCE operated an ultra-wideband radar system on a multirotor UAS platform in collaboration with UiT and CIRFA. The radar, which can detect layers in the snow and ice, was operated along selected profiles where also snow and ice samples were collected (Norwegian Polar Institute).
In addition, NORCE operated an imaging radar on board KV Svalbard. The radar system, which was mainly operated during the periods where the vessel was stationary in the ice, provided information about ice drift and ice conditions. The main objective of the experiment was to collect observations of sea ice drift and ice coverage and type, at different positions along the route up to 90°N. In addition to the science data collection, the potential of using a high-resolution imaging Ku-band radar for navigation in ice-infested waters was also demonstrated. During the cruise, CIRFA tasked high-resolution Radarsat-2 satellite SAR scenes which were used during the cruise for navigation. NORCE also participated in daily processing and interpretation of satellite SAR imagery from Sentinel-1, which was instrumental in the navigational decision-making process.
This combination of data was collected to develop a real-time ice navigation support system. The campaign was co-financed by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) projects ARCEx, CAATEX and CIRFA in addition to the INTAROS Horizon2020 project and the RESICE project funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment. The results formed the foundation for the Project Digital Arctic Shipping, a bilateral Norway-China project on developing a drone and satellite-based ice navigation support system. Key stakeholders will be ship operators wanting to use the northern sea routes for transport between the far east and Europe as well as expedition cruise operators and fishing vessels operating close to the ice edge.