Through-ice AUV deployment: Operational and technical experience from two seasons of Arctic fieldwork

• Published in: Cold Regions Science and Technology
• Main Authors: Doble, MJ, Forrest, AL, Wadhams, P, Laval, BE
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2009
• Subjects: Engineering; Maritime Engineering; Special Vehicles; Arctic; Ellesmere Island; Beaufort Sea; Lincoln Sea; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2008.11.006; http://ecite.utas.edu.au/82353

Detailed sea ice draft mapping was recently accomplished in the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska, in 2007 and in the Lincoln Sea, north of Canada's Ellesmere Island, in 2008 using a small (3m long, 20cm diameter), man-handleable Gavia AUV incorporating an inertial navigation system and a 500kHz phase-measuring swath sonar. The topography of specific ice features was mapped across 80m-wide swaths by performing repeated runs in the vicinity of access holes drilled in the sea ice. The paper discusses the technical and operational developments undertaken to successfully accomplish the missions, including test deployments in a frozen Canadian lake prior to each Arctic deployment. Example data are shown and accuracy issues discussed. 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.