The use of satellite data for safer and more resource efficient vessel navigation and research expeditions in ice covered waters

Research Project, 2025 – 2027

Sea ice and ice dynamics have a major impact on both the navigation of ships and various ship-based operations in ice-covered areas. Over 80% of global trade volume is carried out at sea and with increasing climate change and conflicts along key trade routes, shipping traffic in the Arctic is expected to increase. However, the fact that ice extent is decreasing and ice is becoming thinner means that sea ice is becoming more mobile and that ice conditions are changing more rapidly, which increases the danger to transport, fishing and operations in the Polar Regions.

The Polar Research Secretariat has chartered I/B Oden to conduct polar research expeditions since 1991 and has extensive experience in planning and conducting research missions. It is often very difficult to plan an optimal route that is as fuel and time efficient as possible, as the conditions and drift of the ice are difficult to predict. There is limited information on the extent of ice cover, type of ice and how it drifts, especially in the central parts of the Arctic Ocean. Satellite observations are the only source of updated ice information for the entire Arctic Ocean. To improve and validate the ice information provided by satellites, independent measurements of the nature and dynamics of the sea ice are required. This is done primarily by systematically placing buoys over several years that measure the drift, deformation and rotation of the ice floes.

To collect ice information independent of clouds, fog and darkness, satellite sensors that use frequencies in the microwave range, such as passive microwave radiometers and radar, are mainly used. Maps of ice concentration and extent, as well as estimates of ice thickness, are regularly produced with these sensors, but with low spatial resolution that is not sufficient for effective ship navigation. In recent years, the number of satellites that can provide high-resolution radar images (“synthetic aperture radar”) has increased significantly. The goal of the project is to use these highresolution images to generate useful information about the ice state and to provide new information about ice drift and ice deformation. This ice information will be tested and validated in the Gulf of Bothnia and during two expeditions to the Arctic Ocean in 2026 and 2027.

This project will contribute to the use of satellite data to carry out ship navigation and research missions in a more optimal, resource-efficient and safe way. After validation, this ice information can be used by all shipping operations in ice-covered areas. The ice information, the independent measurements and the knowledge that this project will generate can also lead to better modelling of sea ice in high-resolution coupled ocean and atmosphere models, which in turn can provide better forecasts for ocean circulation, weather and climate.