Environmental Evaluation: ONR part of joint effort to deploydata buoys across Arctic Ocean

ByLt.KirkWhitney,NavyReservist and AerospaceEngineering Duty Officer OfficeofNavalResearch

ARLINGTON,Va. —InJuly 2023,the Office of NavalResearch (ONR) partnered withthe144thAirliftSquadronoftheAlaska Air National Guardtodeployfive different types of weather buoys across morethan 1,000nauticalmilesoftheArcticOcean.

Such deploymentsare critical for maintaining the Arctic Observing Network (AON), which provides observations for weather and ice forecasting and related research.

The buoyair deployment supported the International ArcticBuoyProgramme (IABP),acollaborativeprogramcomprising morethan32different research and operationalinstitutionsfrom10differentcountries andfourinternationalagencies—including theInternationalCooperativeEngagement Program for Polar Research (ICE-PPR), European Meteorological Network, World Climate Research Programme and World MeteorologicalOrganization

The objectiveofthe IABP is to establishand maintain anetwork of data buoys acrossthe entireArctic Ocean to provide meteorological, sea ice andoceanographic dataforreal-timeoperationalrequirements andresearchpurposes.ONRisanexecutive member of theIABP,contributingsignificantlytotheacquisitionanddeploymentof buoysintheArctic.

“Understanding oceanand weather conditions in the Arcticregion is crucial to ensuring safe,effectivenaval operations in this challengingpart of the world,” said Chief of NavalResearchRear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus. “Exercises like this buoy drop areatestamenttothe valueofstrong international scientific partnerships and collaboration, in ordertoshare knowledge, resourcesandinsights.”

On July 11 and 12,two flightsdeployed 21 buoysevenly along the flight path from Barrow,Alaska,across the Eurasianregion oftheArcticOcean.Thebuoyswilltrackair pressure, temperature,ice driftand ocean currents

The 144th Airlift Squadron(the“Arctic Wolves”) and part of the 176th Wing (the “Arctic Guardians”)conducted the flights on aC-17GlobemasterIII aircraft. In addition to personnel from the 176th Wing participantsincludedprofessorsandscientistsfromtheUniversityofWashingtonand the University of Maryland as well as ONR reservists

Flying over such alarge area provided agreat opportunity for visual surveys and documentationofthe ice.Fivetypes of buoys —Ice Trackers, IceBalls,ICEXAIR, AirExpendable IceBeaconsand an experimentalbuoy—weredeployedfromtheC-17

TheIce Trackers,Ice Balls, ICEXAIRs and experimentalbuoyweredeployeddirectly onto the ice,while the AXIBs landed in cracks betweenthe seaice.The buoyshave uniquedesignfeaturestohelpthemsurvive theharshenvironment.

Both flights provided auseful training objectiveforthe144thAirliftSquadronand servedasanefficientmethod fordeploying buoysacrosstheaustere,remoteregion.The squadron also used the mission as training for Arctic rescue air drops.Data collected from the buoys enhanceweather and ice forecasting and environmentalmodels, reducingtherisktoassetsintheArctic.

In addition, as the annual cycles of freezingand thawingoccur, buoys maybe crushedbytheseaice,driftoutoftheArctic

Oceanorreachtheendoftheirservicelives

The AON, and the buoys,mustbereplenishedperiodically to provide continuous environmentaldata.

This effort emphasizesthe great scientificand operational capabilities achieved throughcollaborationbetweenU.S.DepartmentofDefense(DoD)researchprofessionals,academic professors and researchers; NavyReserveandAirNationalGuardunits; andcontractors

ONR is akey contributor to the IABP through both its Arctic and Global PredictionprogramandtheICE-PPR,whichhelps tomaintaintheArcticbuoynetwork.Seven nations collaborate through the ICE-PPR, including the U.S. DoD,the Department of National Defence ofCanada, the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Finland,the NewZealand Defence Force, the Ministry of Defence of theKingdom of Norway and the Government of the KingdomofSweden.

ONR also helps support the U.S. Interagency Arctic Buoy Program (USIABP), whichismanagedbytheUniversityofWashington’sPolarScienceCenter,AppliedPhysics Laboratory as well as the U.S. National IceCenter

The USIABP is supported by contributions of logistics and funds from ONR, the AlaskaAir National Guard, the National Science Foundation,the U.S. CoastGuard, the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration, the NationalAeronautics andSpace Administration, theDepartment ofEnergy and the NorthSlopeBorough of Alaska Such partnershipshavemanybenefits, such as standardization,equipmentsharing and eliminating unnecessary duplicationofwork.Thecooperationalsofacilitates efficient and cost-effectivepolar research, development,testandevaluationprojects.