NIC Charts Smooth Sailing
by Steve Balistreri
Many relationships with ASF provide unique data products for a great variety of users. One in particular has an especially longstanding and cooperative connection, providing ice breaking vessels with updated navigational information, researchers with products related to polar change, and the public with comprehensive sea-ice atlases and weekly ice data updates.
The National Ice Center (NIC) is a tri-agency, operational center including the United States Navy, NOAA, and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). Together with ASF, the NIC has created imagery unavailable elsewhere that is used for research, modeling, and analysis of polar regions.
NIC Branch Chief, Marilene Kazior, plays a key role between the NIC and ASF. In addition to coordinating data acquisitions with ASF, Kazior administers the web site, www.natice.noaa.gov, which disseminates NIC images for public and private use. The archives track weekly, monthly, and yearly annotated ice charts and RADARSAT-1 data images, as well as missions past and present. “ASF is an integral part of the NIC,” says Kazior, “It’s something that has blossomed into more than a standard working relationship.”
USCG support is a major facet of the NIC operations. While cutters move through Arctic and Antarctic waters, the NIC provides updated ice coverage data, derived from ASF products to assist in navigation. This process has supported a number of missions over the years, including an emergency response to the Selendang Ayu oil spill, Antarctic supply mission Deep Freeze, and navigation coverage for the icebreaking research vessels.
ASF has supported the USGC Cutter, Healy, during its annual cruises, including the Arctic East, Arctic West, the Northwest Passage, and the 2005 trans-arctic cruise from Seattle, Washington to Tromso, Norway.
The missions reveal new challenges every year and 2005 was no exception. During the early stages of its trans-arctic cruise, USCG Cutter Healy was held up with an equipment problem. For this uncommon occurrence, ASF was able to acquire 50 m resolution imagery for the USCG Cutter Healy, effectively delivering ice data that enabled a navigable course. ASF will continue to work with the NIC, supplying critical data for emergency responses, natural disasters, and research vessels. If not for the partnership of these two facilities, none of these products would be possible; products which are invaluable to those who use them. For that reason, says Kazior, “As far as the NIC is concerned, ASF is a friend.”
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