Ice Conditions

Along with acquiring operational data on ice conditions, an accumulation of behavior data on ice cover is also needed for designing and deployment of marine drilling rings, optimal vessel routing in the Arctic seas, and ecological climatic research activities. Oil pollution may be quite a problem in oil extraction and transportation in the Arctic shelf. Insurance companies also hold an interest in such data required for estimating the probability of material damage when naval and other operations in the Arctic.
Thus satellite monitoring of ice conditions in the Arctic is rather urgent for the Russian economy.

Multi-band imagery data (AVHRR/NOAA and MODIS/TERRA, in the near future from METEOR-M) may be used for space monitoring of the Arctic.

Radar all-weather imaging from the European SAR/ERS spacecraft and from the Russian future METEOR-M spacecraft (BRLK equipment) as well is rather useful for the Arctic Region.
The NTs OMZ-developed technologies for satellite data processing allow the following tasks burning for the Arctic Region:

• Ice conditions monitoring;


• Assessment of ice cover conditions;


• Monitoring of inundation, marine, shore, and bottom land floods;


• Ecological monitoring of offshore strips affected by man-made stresses;


• Monitoring of polluted water surfaces.

METEOR-3M/MSU-E image, monitoring of ice conditions near the shore of the Onega Peninsular and the Eastern Solovetsky Salma Bay

MONITOR/PSA image, monitoring of ice conditions nearby Franz Josef Land, Arctic Ocean

ENVISAT/ASAR image, monitoring of ice conditions in the Northern Caspian Sea

RESURS-DK1 image, monitoring of ice conditions in Zeya River, Amur Region