Development and Testing of a Low-cost Satellite-tracked Ice Drifter for Arctic Alaska

This study is the first instance of deliberate landfast ice tagging and tracking. These field tests demonstrate the utility of this methodology for novel applications of ice tagging. Overall, the project was a very successful demonstration of the ability of this low-cost IceTracker technology to gather data needed to better understand ice deformation and ice fate. Broader impacts of this study include contributions to a University of Alaska, Museum of the North (UAMN) university-credit course, “Engineering on Ice: Sea ice science and STEM lessons,” (UAF Course ED 593); a video broadcast of the field tests produced for public television; and material that were incorporated into a children’s book, Frontier Scientists, Anchorage, AK. This technology could be further developed for Arctic emergency responses applications, such as an oil spill in mixed ice conditions or small vessel recovery from Arctic sea ice.

USD: $218,286

2016-04-02 → 2018-05-01