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by Joel Kennedy
and Tom Kuckertz
Past, Present and Future of �Ice Radar Detection System in �
Prince William Sound
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
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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
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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
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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.”
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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
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Army National Guard Ferries Tower to Reef Island
Reef Island Site after Installation of Tower
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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
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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
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Why is Reef Island the best location for an ice detecting radar?
How does the SeaScan Processor develop displayable information? -- Averaging
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How does the SeaScan Processor develop displayable information? -- Averaging
SeaScan Processor Example
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SeaScan Processor Example
SeaScan Processor Iceberg Example
Small iceberg
Growler
Unprocessed Radar With SeaScan
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Sometimes, there is a considerable amount of ice in the tanker lanes
Columbia Bay, Alaska, September 2006 W.T. Pfeffer
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 km3/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
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Future • Alyeska has committed to working with
PWSRCAC and the U.S. Coast Guard to re-integrate 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
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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
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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
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25 kW X-Band Radar Mounted 75m High 50 metre long iceberg
Theoretical Probability of Detection – Standard Radar
Probability of Detection – With SeaScan 25 kW X-Band Radar Mounted 75m High 50 metre long iceberg
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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
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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
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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
