Past, Present and Future of Ice Radar Detection System in Prince William Sound by Joel Kennedy and Tom Kuckertz Why Ice Detection Radar? Exxon Valdez Spill Overseas Ohio collides with iceberg and suffers serious damage Prince William Sound Risk Assessment Iceberg Monitoring Project/ Columbia Glacier Study 1
Overseas Ohio (also known as the SeaRiver Hinchinbrook) undergoing repairs after a collision with an iceberg on January 2, 1994. Some icebergs are very visible, especially in daylight 2
Other icebergs (growlers) are difficult to visually detect, especially as light dims and weather conditions worsen Many stakeholders participated in the development and implementation of the ice detection radar at Reef Is. Alyeska/ SERVS United States Coast Guard NOAA Prince William Sound Community College Oil Spill Recovery Institute Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation PWSRCAC US Army Alaska Tanker Company NorthStar Stevedore and Longshoreman Army National Guard Valdez City Council Samson Tug and Barge And Others 3
Congressional Support (Funding) Congressional appropriation in the amount of $650,000 Ice detecting radar Cordova, Alaska The Committee recommends $650,000 for the acquisition and installation of an ice detecting radar to increase awareness of hazards to maritime navigation and prevent oil spills in Prince William Sound. The Committee directs the U.S. Coast Guard to coordinate with the local community to procure and site this equipment expeditiously. U.S. Coast Guard Support COTP MSU Valdez (CDR Coleman) to Commandant (G-M) Dated April 28, 2000 The installation of real time Ice Detection and Monitoring Radar at Reef Island is an operational requirement for the VTS Prince William Sound. District Seventeen Commander (ADM Barrett) to Commandant (G-M) Dated April 28, 2000 I completely support the installation of an Ice Detection and Monitoring Radar on Reef Island. This radar is an important addition to the Prince William Sound Vessel Traffic System. Clearly, real-time ice information will reduce risk for vessels participating in the VTS. 4
U.S. Coast Guard Support Director of Waterways Management (Jeffrey P. High) to PWSRCAC Dated May 23, 2000 The U.S. Coast Guard supports this concept and is interested in participating in this project. Alaska Tanker Company Transports Tower From Lower 48 5
Army National Guard Ferries Tower to Reef Island Reef Island Site after Installation of Tower 6
The ice radar system is part of a larger system on Reef Island Reef Island Valdez USCG Commandant commends PWSRCAC & Project Manager Rhonda Arvidson for her efforts in bringing ice radar to fruition 7
Does the SeaScan processor improve the ice detection capabilities of the USCG Terma radar system? Probability of detection analysis Complex system requiring assumptions Bergy bit, 12-meters at waterline 6-foot seas 18-knot winds 30-meter tower height Old (18-ft antenna) and new Terma radars (21-ft antenna) Ice Radar Processor for Prince William Sound Summary of Configuration and Benefits, C-Core Report R-07-044-546 (December 2007) Probability of ice detection for 4 different radar configurations of SeaScan processor 8
Why is Reef Island the best location for an ice detecting radar? How does the SeaScan Processor develop displayable information? -- Averaging 9
How does the SeaScan Processor develop displayable information? -- Averaging SeaScan Processor Example 10
SeaScan Processor Example SeaScan Processor Iceberg Example Small iceberg Growler Unprocessed Radar With SeaScan 11
Sometimes, there is a considerable amount of ice in the tanker lanes Future icebergs in Prince William Sound: Columbia Glacier will continue to release icebergs for another ~20 years, at rates similar to what s coming out today (~7 km 3 /yr). Icebergs have farther to travel before crossing moraine, so more opportunity to melt. Iceberg sizes are much larger at present, so bergs can survive more melt Degradation/erosion of moraine probably the greatest single factor which can change icebergs escaping into the Sound Columbia Bay, Alaska, September 2006 W.T. Pfeffer 12
Future Alyeska has committed to working with PWSRCAC and the U.S. Coast Guard to reintegrate the SeaScan Processor into the Reef Island systems PWSRCAC is seeking ways to work with all stakeholders to replace (summer 2010) the obsolescent SeaScan Processor with its state of art equivalent Long-term operation and support Future (cont.) C-Core proposal includes: State of art Sigma S6 Processor ($56K) Remote Displays ($27K per display) Tracking Software ($14K) Total cost of upgrade: $99,000 Funding TBD 13
Ice Detection Sigma S6 Installation L-3 Klein (USA): US Navy Waterside Security Systems, Multiple locations including Guantanamo Bay and San Diego Raytheon Canada (Canada): Multiple sites including the Dutch Antilles and Spain SICOM (Canada): Multiple systems used for surveillance and security Turks and Caicos Islands Coastal Surveillance SeaBridge System St. Laurence Seaway (Canada): Vessel monitoring for bridge operation ExxonMobil (Canada): Two systems installed on Hibernia platform for ice detection Husky Energy (Canada): Two systems installed on the SeaRose platform for ice detection Suncor (formerly Petro Canada): Two systems installed on the Terra Nova Platform for ice detection Cairn Energy (UK): Three systems installed on vessels and platforms operating in West Greenland Shtokman Development AG (Russia): System installed on the Yamal Ice breaker for use in iceberg detection program summer 2009 Henry Goodrich semisubmersible System installed for ice detection Erik Raude semisubmersible system installed for ice detection Canadian Coast Guard multiple installations on Canadian Coast Vessels operating in the Canadian Arctic. Questions and Answers 14
Electromagnetic radiation is sometimes categorized according to frequency range *Terma radar front end Radar frequency bands were cryptically assigned letter designators during World War II 15
Theoretical Probability of Detection Standard Radar 25 kw X-Band Radar Mounted 75m High 50 metre long iceberg Probability of Detection With SeaScan 25 kw X-Band Radar Mounted 75m High 50 metre long iceberg 16
Radar 101 Probability of detection (Radar equation): Proportional to transmitter power Proportional to gain of the antennas Proportional to radar cross section (size) of the target Inversely proportional to opacity of atmosphere (line-of-sight) Inversely proportional to (distance) 4 to target As a practical matter, distance is the limiting parameter with respect to target detectability. The wavelength of the interrogating radiation must be smaller than the size of the target. Radar target returns tend to be quite noisy and signal processing is typically required to render the target Reef Island looking towards Columbia Glacier from installation site of ice detection radar 17
Ice Scouting & Ice Radar have detection capabilities that complement each other (linear vs 2D search) Rule 7 of Rules of the Road (risk of collision) states: Proper use shall be made of radar equipment if fitted and operational, including long-range scanning to obtain early warning of risk of collision and radar plotting or equivalent systematic observation of detected object. Everything was transported from Valdez to Reef Island by helicopter 18
Past, Present, and Future of Ice Radar Detection System in PWS Need for ice detection manifests itself Stakeholders, regulators, and industry work together to create ice radar detection system System Operational from November 2002 through August 2009 How the ice radar system works Unique capabilities for detection of ice Two phase process for restoration Ice flow forecast Upgrade proposal USCG was unable to re-integrate ice radar system when it upgraded the Terma front end in August 2009 19