Environmental conditions on the Grand 



Banks permitted adequate visibility (>10 nm) 



only 28% of the time during iceberg 



reconnaissance. Consequently, Ice Patrol relied 



heavily on its two airborne radar systems to 



detect and identify icebergs in cloud cover and 



fog. The combination of SLAR and FLAR 



enabled detection and identification of icebergs 



in pervasive low-visibility conditions, 



minimizing the flight hours necessary to 



accurately monitor the iceberg population. In 



addition. the SLAR-FLAR combination 



allowed IIP to use 30 nm track spacing and 



provide 200% radar coverage on each patrol 



despite poor visibility (Figure 10). A detailed 



description of HP's reconnaissance strategy is 



provided at: 

 http://www.uscq.mil/lantarea/iip/FAQ/ReconnOp 1 0.shtml 



Identifying the various types of targets 



on the Grand Banks is a perpetual challenge for 



IIP reconnaissance. Frequently, poor visibility 



forces the IRD to identify targets based solely 



on the nature of their radar image. Both SLAR 



and FLAR provide valuable clues to target 



identity, but in most cases, FLAR's superior 



imaging allows definitive target identification. 



Figure 11 displays the number and types of 



targets that reconnaissance patrols detected 



during 2006. Reconnaissance detachments 



detected a total of 222 icebergs; 33% (74) were 



identified with radar alone (not seen visually), 



while the remaining 67% (148) were identified 



using a combination of visual and radar 



information or by visual means alone. 



Radar & Visual 



adar Only 



Visual Only 



Radar Targets _/ 

 16 



Figure 11. Breakdown of targets detected by 

 IRDs in 2006 



The Grand Banks are a productive 

 fishing ground frequented by fishing vessels, 

 ranging from 20 to over 70 meters in length. 

 Determining whether an ambiguous radar 

 contact is an iceberg or a vessel is particularly 

 difficult with small targets. These contacts 

 sometimes create similar radar returns and 

 cannot easily be differentiated. Therefore, when 

 a radar image does not present distinguishing 

 features. Ice Patrol classifies the contact as a 

 radar target. 



The Grand Banks region has been 

 rapidly developed for its oil reserves since 

 1997. In November 1997, Hibernia, a gravity- 

 based oil-production platform, was set in 

 position approximately 150 nm offshore on the 

 northeastern portion of the Grand Banks. In 

 addition to Hibernia, other drilling facilities — 

 including Glomar Grand Banks, Terra Nova, 

 and Henry Goodrich — are routinely on the 

 Grand Banks. Consequently, this escalated 

 drilling has increased air and surface traffic in 

 HP's area of responsibility, further 

 complicating target identification. This 

 difficulty is offset, however, by the information 

 reports this traffic provides. Reports from 

 ships, aircraft, and drilling platforms greatly aid 

 IIP in the creation of ice limits that are as 

 accurate and reliable as possible. 



Oceanographic Operations 



HP's oceanographic operations peaked 

 in the 1960s, when the U.S. Coast Guard 

 dedicated substantial ship resources to 

 collecting oceanographic data. Since that time, 

 however, HP's involvement in oceanographic 

 surveys on the Grand Banks has declined. The 

 decline is a result of numerous factors, three of 

 which are the most significant. First, increased 

 competition among various U.S. Coast Guard 

 missions made it increasingly difficult for IIP 

 to obtain the ship resources necessary to 

 continue extensive oceanographic surveys. 

 Second, because the capability and reliability of 

 air-deployable oceanographic instruments has 

 improved vastly, Ice Patrol can collect 

 oceanographic data without the aid of ships. 



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