International Ice Patrol Improvements 2006

LT William Woityra, Ice Information Officer, United States Coast Guard, International Ice Patrol

The International Ice Patrol (IIP), a U.S. Coast Guard unit stationed in Groton, CT, has monitored iceberg danger on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland since 1913 as a result of the TITANIC disaster. Despite being staffed by only 16 personnel (14 active duty personnel and two civilians), the Ice Patrol routinely patrols and guards the 500-thousand square miles of the North Atlantic where icebergs threaten transatlantic shipping.

Ice Patrol personnel are constantly striving to make improvements to products and services that will aid in the achievement of the vision to: "Eliminate the Risk of Iceberg Collision," while embracing their Core Values of Partnerships Built on the Spirit of International Cooperation, Individual Commitment to the Ice Patrol Mission, and Continuous Improvement through the use of Technology.

In 2006, the Ice Patrol took action on several items to make the watch more efficient and the product deliverables more accurate and usable. The first and most significant of these was the enhancement of a longstanding partnership with the Canadian Ice Service (CIS)

Starting with the 2006 ice season, the Ice Patrol shared a single, unified iceberg database for the entire North Atlantic with the Canadian Ice Service. Only made possible recently through the use of technology, the synchronized database marks a huge step forward for two partners, as it eliminates the need for bergs to be "handed off" as they crossed from one area of responsibility to another. Additionally, this shared database has the added benefit of fulfilling a major requirement for contingency planning —in the event of a catastrophic event or natural disaster at either the CIS or IIP offices, the iceberg information would be preserved, and notices could still be distributed to mariners. In conjunction with this synchronization, IIP and CIS now share all environmental data and utilize the same ocean current model which drives the iceberg drift and deterioration. Leveraging available technology, the ocean current model is now updated daily to reflect on scene oceanographic conditions, a major step up from the weekly updates that were used previously.

As a supplemental contingency measure, the Ice Patrol also established an off-site remote operations center at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, from which the ice watch can be maintained in the event of an emergency at the normal IIP offices.

Furthermore, historical research at Ice Patrol showed that while the line demarking the Limit of All Known Ice (LAKI) was being updated twice a day, the 00Z LAKI was identical, or nearly identical, to the 12Z LAKI over 95% of the time. For this reason Ice Patrol chose to generate a single LAKI each day, which would take into account the best information available and remain valid for 24 hours. This change should eliminate confusion over whether a given LAKI is the most up to date.

An additional change to the IIP product suite this year included a visual overhaul of our graphical iceberg chart with emphasis on accuracy and readability. The layout now more closely resembles the Canadian iceberg chart, while remaining visually distinct, thus making it more convenient and easier to use for mariners who employ both the U.S. and Canadian ice products.

Lastly, IIP’s aerial iceberg reconnaissance efforts continue to benefit from advancing technology, as all flights are now equipped with Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers that help the ice observers make the critical distinction between a berg and a boat—often nearly impossible from a radar image alone.

These changes, and many other smaller efforts, mark the Ice Patrol’s commitment to promoting safe navigation in the North Atlantic. IIP welcomes feedback and suggestions from mariners who use our products. Please feel free to contact us if there is any way we can better serve you. Comments, questions and suggestions can be sent to iipcomms@uscg.mil or (860) 441-2626.