Synonym: ASAC Project 2298
Date: September - October 2003
Region: between approximately 110 and 140ºE
Participants: Andreas Pfaffling, Dennis Otto, Ingo Richter

Type of activity:

• Sea ice remote sensing validation
  With its ability to monitor vast regions in a timely, repetitive and cost-effective manner, satellite remote sensing is a key tool in global climate and climate-change research. A number of important new satellite sensors have recently been launched, but so far, little work has been carried out to validate key satellite-derived Antarctic sea-ice geophysical products. The primary aim of this large program will be to obtain in-situ data on Antarctic sea ice to calibrate and validate the new satellite products.
  During this program the ship will be used for 18 days to characterize sea ice conditions and changes in an experimental area of about 75 km x 100 km. We will enter the ice to the east of Casey and, although the experiment will be performed on this one patch of sea ice, we expect that the ice will drift 200-300 km towards Casey during the experiment. The drift of the ice will be monitored with an array of 12 or more satellite-tracked buoys. There are number of subsidiary projects involved in this program, and a team of about 30 researchers, including international collaborators from institutions in Belgium, China, Germany, Japan and USA. Major components of the program will involve intensive helicopter operations for aerial photography, geophysical measurements, buoy deployment and floe access; and in-situ sampling and measurements on ice floes at a number of sites alongside the ship.
• Sediment trap recovery and replacement.
• Delivery of personnel and essential cargo for Casey base