Abstract

This paper presents the findings of airborne sea-ice thickness measurements in the Beaufort Sea near Barrow, Alaska. We discuss the applicability of airborne electromagnetic (AEM) induction for ice thickness monitoring in near coastal areas. All measurements were done within the NSF funded Seasonal Ice Zone Observation Network (SIZONet) which organizes airborne sea ice thickness surveys every spring since 2007. The key finding is, that thickness of grounded ice features in shallow water regions can be mapped with the AEM method. This is of particular interest, since other established methods, like upward looking sonar, can not be applied for potentially hazardous sea-ice features in shallow water regions.

Keywords:
ice thickness, beaufort sea, information, ice shear zone, thickness survey, multi-year sea ice, sea-ice thickness measurement, barrow, sea ice thickness, otc 24552
Subjects:
Information Management and Systems
This content is only available via PDF.
2014. Offshore Technology Conference
You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.