CATLIN ARCTIC SURVEY

MDA has delivered RADARSAT-2 derived information products to the Catlin Arctic Survey on a routine basis since the beginning of the expedition (March 1, 2009), which is used to make operational decisions to select re-supply landing areas, as well as situational awareness for the Ice Team. Through the use of the RADARSAT-2 data, MDA can identify ice features such as leads (open water), rubble fields (areas that are difficult to cross), as well as smoother areas where new ice has formed. This graphic depicts RADARSAT-2 imagery that is draped over the location of the ice team. The data is integrated with Iridium GPS positional information that is transmitted in real time by the team on the ice as well as the baseline expedition information (starting point, planned re-supply points). MDA makes this information available within hours of capture at a ground processing facility located in Canada, through a dedicated publicly visible Google Earth based application. The UK based operational support team uses this information on a daily basis to support their daily situation reports with the Ice Team.

RADARSAT-2 Data and Products © MacDONALD, DETTWILER AND ASSOCIATES LTD. (2009) - All Rights Reserved - RADARSAT is an official mark of the Canadian Space Agency

RADARSAT-2 Data and Products © MacDONALD, DETTWILER AND ASSOCIATES LTD. (2009) - All Rights Reserved - RADARSAT is an official mark of the Canadian Space Agency Full resolution subscene of the RADARSAT-2 image acquired March 17, 2009 at 16:09 UTC. The region covered by the subscene approximately coincides with the current location of the Catlin Arctic Survey group. Dark linear features in the image are areas of open water (leeds), and bright areas are due to increased surface roughness from ice rubble. Other differences in image tone correspond to variable ice conditions. The subscene is about 5 km x 5 km or approximately twice the average daily distance covered by the team. Although the daily distance covered by the team is small in relation to the spatial extent of the RADARSAT-2 image, dynamic ice conditions may require alternate route planning which can be achieved by data acquisition on a frequent basis. In the case of the Catlin team, a RADARSAT-2 image had been acquired March 17, 2009 at 14:29 UTC, or less than two hours prior to this image.

Image credit: Martin Hartley - www.martinhartley.com

Image credit: Martin Hartley - www.martinhartley.com

Image credit: Martin Hartley - www.martinhartley.com

Image credit: Martin Hartley - www.martinhartley.com