Iceberg tagging and forecast demonstrations
Calling all Arctic adventurers! Be part of the ACCIBERG project by either requesting a GPS tracker to deploy to an iceberg, or help us beta-test our iceberg forecasts via the IceWatch App.
Iceberg Tagging
In-situ iceberg trajectories tagged with buoys are vital for validating the iceberg forecast model. But this data is not very common and can be hard to get hold of, so the ACCIBERG project has its own GPS trackers that can be requested by volunteers to help collect this data. ACCIBERG can provide a GPS tracker to be placed on an iceberg, which will then follow iceberg and help calibrate the iceberg model. We have 12 of them available, on a first come, first served basis. The deployment of buoys on icebergs is a dangerous operation and strict security protocols are required by the Ice Services, so security protocols for tagging icebergs are available.
The pictures above document the ICE-PPR iceberg tagging experiment (ITEX) 2021. Here, the drop site selection process at Vaigat South #41 is shown, with the GPS tracker placed on the iceberg. Pictures courtsey of Ignatius Rigor.
Deploying GPS trackers to icebergs
In-situ iceberg trajectories tagged with buoys are vital for validating the iceberg forecast model. However the amount of data available is quite limited, and what exists is scattered between industry, academia, and public bodies. ACCIBERG aims to increase the amount of data available by taking further measurements via the deployment of GPS trackers on icebergs, and by collecting together data sets that have not yet been made publicly accessible.
ACCIBERG is calling all Arctic adventurers, with an interest in icebergs! The project needs volunteers to help collect the iceberg tracking data. ACCIBERG can provide a GPS tracker to be placed on an iceberg, which will then follow the iceberg and help calibrate the iceberg model. There are 12 GPS trackers available, on a first come, first served basis. The deployment of buoys on icebergs is a dangerous operation and strict security protocols, outlined below, are required by the Ice Services, so security protocols for tagging icebergs are available. Use the link below to volunteer.
Finding existing iceberg trajectory data is not always an easy task. Much of the data are owned by industry, which is not always publicly available. The data collected by academia and public bodies are more readily available. One of the largest deployments was done by DMI in 2021 in Disko Bay (West Greenland) as part of ICE-PPR Iceberg Tagging (IIT) Experiment 21, led by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR). This deployment is the most extensive and publicly available so far, and defines the main validation period of the project: from August to October 2021, during which the Sentinel-1 satellite constellation was nominal. Additional data from various other sources, some going back to 1977, will also be available to the project.
Iceberg Tagging protocols
In order to tag icebergs with the GPS provided by the project, the security protocols document must be followed. The document outlines the type of iceberg observation to be made, in terms of size and shape. There are different safety protocols for shipboard and drone observations. An iceberg report sheet is included in the document, that should be used for all ACCIBERG iceberg observations.
Iceberg forecasts beta testing
Coming soon: ACCIBERG will demonstrate its pilot iceberg forecasts for beta-testers in the summer of 2025. Volunteers can request a forecast for a specific iceberg via the IceWatch mobile app. The iceberg trajectory forecast will be computed on-demand, based on the latest Copernicus data, and sent to the individual beta testers.
