This award supports the National Ice Center of the United States (NIC) to provide Ice Analysis and Reconnaissance Services aboard the U.S.C.G. Icebreaker Healy during the Summer 2005 cruises. The cruises included the second transit of a US icebreaker across the Arctic Ocean via the North Pole. The ice support will be comprised by four general areas: 1) operation of the Canadian Ice Service's (CIS) IceVue system, 2) acquisition, analysis and production of products based on remotely sensed imagery and other data acquired from the National Ice Center (NIC), the CIS and other appropriate sources, 3) ice reconnaissance from Healy's helicopter asset, and 4) taking of ice observations on a not-to-interfere basis with other duties.
The mission of the NIC is to provide the highest quality strategic and tactical ice services tailored to meet the operational requirements of U.S. national interests and to provide specialized meteorological and oceanographic services to United States government agencies. This includes the provision of global sea ice analyses, forecasts, outlooks and ship routing recommendations within the marginal sea ice zone of all Arctic and Antarctic seas and the provision of ice reconnaissance services where appropriate. The Center, located in Suitland, Maryland, combines the technology, staffing and financial resources of the United States Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the United States Coast Guard to fulfill this mission.
