Glaciological research relevant to the construction of ice-going ships

Abstract

The transportation of rich mineral resources from the Arctic by means of large ice-going bulk and oil carrier, is expected to be a suitable and economical technique. The construction of such large vessels requires the knowledge of various glaciological parameters of the sea ice and their dependence on Arctic environmental conditions. Of particular interest on the small scale are the strength, elasticity, and metal to ice friction characteristics, on a larger geophysical scale relevant parameters are the ice stress, pressure, and movement rates and the relation of these parameters to the temperature and salinity of the ice and to the wind field and the ocean current. Furthermore electrical and electromagnetical properties of the ice are relevant to the navigation in ice covered waters by the aid of remote sensing techniques. The German shipyard A.G. Weser in Bremen initiated in 1972 an expedition to the Canadian Arctic to study all relevant physical properties at one location and at the same time to comprehend the whole glaciological regime. The expedition was a cooperative effort between Brook University, St. Catherines (Canada) and the University of Münster (W. Germany). The field measurements were carried out in May and June 1972 on the sea ice between Pond Inlet (Northern Baffin Island) and Bylot Island, N.W.T. This article sumarizes the essential results and presents a synthesis of all the results.