Upward Looking Sonar-based Measurements of Sea Ice and Waves

• Main Authors: D. B. Fissel, J. R. Marko, E. Ross, T. Kwan, John Egan
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Climate change; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.158.9989; http://www.aslenv.com/reports/ice/IPS-Oceans-2008.pdf

Abstract- With the recent reduction in summertime ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, year-long moored measurement programs require detailed information on sea ice thickness and topography data throughout most of the year, as well as ocean wave measurements during summer periods of major sea-ice retreat. This information is required for basic ice covered ocean studies and, increasingly, for addressing important navigation-, offshore structure design/safety- and climate change-issues. Since the early 1990’s, upward looking sonar (ULS) instrumentation have been developed and applied to providing under-ice topography data with high horizontal and vertical spatial resolution. The internal recording ULS instruments, or ice profilers, are typically operated from the seafloor on taut line mooring systems. In the winter of 2007-2008, a new generation of ULS instrumentation was field tested, initially in Northumberland