Arctic Ice Island and Sea Ice Movements and Mechanical Properties. First Quarterly Report, October 1-December 31, 1983

• Main Authors: Sackinger, W. M., Stringer, W. J.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: University of Alaska Fairbanks. Geophysical Institute. 1984
• Subjects: Research Programs; Seas; Mechanical Properties; 02 Petroleum; Exploration; Ice; Trajectories; Surface Waters 020200* > Petroleum > Reserves; Geology; & Exploration; Offshore Operations; Photography; Ships; Adhesion; Motion; Icebergs; Surface Coating; Arctic Ocean; Satellites; Aerial Surveying; Deposition; Wind; Arctic; Chukchi Sea; Ellesmere Island; Chukchi; Ice Shelves; Iceberg*; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2172/7040582; https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1191558/

Research activities for the first quarter are presented for the following tasks: (1) ice island; (2) intrusion of the pack ice edge in the Chukchi Sea; and (3) spray ice adhesion to offshore structure coatings. With respect to the ice island portion of this project the following activities are planned for the year: (1) use aerial photography, satellite imagery, and all available historical records to establish a time history of all of the ice shelves of Ellesmere Island; (2) establish positioning buoys on the existing ice islands to track their trajectories daily and to telemeter daily barometric pressure and temperature, via System Argos; (3) relate geostrophic winds to the observed trajectories; (4) begin to build a pseudo-random model for ice island motion over the long term which would enable a determination of the probability of interaction between ice islands and offshore structures. The overall objective of task 2 is to investigate and analyze the causes and extent of summer time pace ice intrusions into the Chukchi Sea, which would interfere with exploration drilling and emplacement of permanent production structures. For task three a method for evaluating shear and tensile strengths of the interface bond between the sea spray ice layer and the structure or ship surface will be developed. A second more detailed task is to then measure the mechanical properties of this bonded layer for a variety of candidate coatings, as functions of temperature, loading rate, strain rate, salinity, and ice type. 25 references, 92 figures.