Seafloor Mapping in the High Arctic: The Challenges and the Joys

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1 Seafloor Mapping in the High Arctic: The Challenges and the Joys Larry Mayer Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping / NOAA- UNH Joint Hydrographic Center University of New Hampshire, USA Martin Jakobsson Dept of Geology and Geochemsitry Stockholm University Arctic Change Quebec City 11 Dec 2008

2 A geospatial context for our studies of Arctic change Nansen soundings.

3 Fletcher s Ice Island (T-3) LOREX Hydro-Hole Echo sounder Positioning

4 Airborne Measurements and Point Soundings Gravity Measurement Magnetometer Depth Sounding

5 CHS & GEBCO (1967,1968,1979)

6 Data from Nuclear Submarines Sounding tracks of US Navy submarines from 1983 to 1988 (from Bob Anderson via NGDC).

7 SCICEX ( )

8 IBCAO 1999

9 IBCAO 1999

10 The Drivers Climate Change UNCLOS

11 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Article 76 Six hundred and seventeen words that redefine the continental shelf of a coastal state and provide a mechanism for the state to extend its sovereign rights over the resources of the seabed and subsoil of the continental shelf

12 UNCLOS Article 76 The Process All coastal states are entitled to a 200 nm EEZ A coastal state is entitled to sovereign rights over the resources of the seabed and subsoil of "submerged extensions of the continental margin" beyond their 200 nm Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) if. Demonstrate a natural prolongation of the coastal state s territorial landmass typically broad continental shelf and/or thick sedimentary wedge

13 Data Required Once the natural prolongation is established the extended continental shelf beyond the 200 nm EEZ is determined by a set of formulae and limit lines defined from the: depth and shape of the seafloor (FOS and 2500m contour) the thickness of the underlying sediments (1% line) distances from the territorial sea baselines (350 nm line) Need to map the seafloor

14 Bering Sea 2003 UNH CCOM-JHC U.S. Law-of of-the-sea Bathymetric Mapping to Date..Arctic Gulf of Alaska 2005 Atlantic soon Marianas Gulf of Mexico 2007 Kingman Reef- Palmyra Atoll soon Mayer et al U.S. Law-of-the-Sea Desktop Study

15 Arctic is unique as an ocean basin in that >52% is made up of shelf (geologic)

16 Semi-enclosed enclosed basin with five nations having potential extended shelves From Ron McNab

17 Session T12 Law and Politics of Canadian Jurisdiction on the Arctic Ocean Seabed From Durham University

18 Single Beam Echo Sounder

19 Multibeam Echo Sounder

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21 A new perspective new insights

22 Arctic - Chukchi Plateau mapping USCGC Healy Andy Larry Seabeam khz, receive beams bathymetry & acoustic backscatter Knudsen 320BR 3.5-kHz chirp profiler UNH: bathymetry, backscatter & 3.5-kHz processing at sea

23 2003 & & 2008 Chukchi plateau Barrow margin

24 Arctic Mapping 2003,2004,2007,2008 cruise statistics operations days transits.. 24 days average speed (in ice)...4 kts average sea-ice state.. 9/10 tracklines ~24,300 km Area mapped.. ~135,000 km 2

25 Healy ~3000 km of multibeam sonar bathymetry Sept 03 8/10 ice

26 typical ice conditions /10 cheesy ice

27 Redefinition of the 2500 m contour

28 Healy Seamount looking S, ve=6x water depth (m) 3100 m high, summit at 900 m water depth 45 km long x 15 km wide

29 Healy Seamount Survey

30 2004 Chukchi plateau Radarsat ice coverage for 10 October Image processed at either ASF, Qinetic or CDPF. CSA2004

31 How do we map in this? Grönland

32 HEALY TRACK 6-26 Oct line km Ratchet Surveying Pirouette Surveying

33 mapped 2500-m isobath Barrow margin looking SE, ve=10x ridges <300 m high, ~100 km long 2500 m N erosion

34 HEALY Depart Barrow: 17 Aug. 07 Return Barrow 15 Sept. 07

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37 78 N 81 N HEALY N 72 N mapping the 2500-m isobath & foot of the slope

38 Healy 03-02, 02, 04-05, 05, results perspective view looking SW

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41 HEALY 0805 SHIPTRACK AND DREDGE SITES

42 HEALY 0806 and LOUIS St. LAURENT WORK

43 2003, 2004 & 2007 Arctic surveys scours & bedforms Pt Barrow Barrow margin km

44 ice grooves 3 to 5 m deep -470 m central Chukchi Plateau -380 m A B B A λ = ~2 km H = ~10 m

45 2003, 2004 & 2007 Arctic surveys pockmarks Pt Barrow Barrow margin km

46 central Chukchi Plateau pockmarks 200-m diameter 20-m deep VE = 10x looking SW

47 E u r a s i a n S h e l f S e a s Chukchi Borderland Yermak Plateau Lomonosov Ridge Alpha-Mendeleev Gakkel Ridge Multibeam mapping USCGC Healy I/B Oden R/V Polarstern Mackenzie Canadian Archipelago CCGS Amundsen Morris Jesup Rise

48 Glacial Sole Marks 5 km Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level» Fifth level From S. Blasco Amundsen Gulf

49 Gary Knolls Mud Volcanoes Beaufort Sea From S. Blasco

50 Shelf Slump Beaufort Shelf More at session T34 Eastern Edge Seafloor Mapping of the Western Edge Arctic Ocean - Room 207 From S. Blasco

51 45ºW 90ºW 135ºW 180ºE HOTRAX 2005 IODP Leg 302 0º 45ºE 90ºE 135º SCICEX 99 Polarstern LOMROG 2007 AMORE, Healy/Polarstern

52 Jakobsson et al. 2005, QSR Polyak et al. 2002, Nature Morris- Jessup Rise Kristoffersen & Mikkelsen 2006, Marine Geol. Jakobsson 1999, Marine Geology Polyak et al., 2002, Nature

53 IBCAO Nansen ~6 6 % OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN HAS BEEN MAPPED WITH MULTIBEAM THERE IS MUCH MUCH MORE TO DISCOVER!!!

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57 Bathymetric Compilation IBCAO (2002)

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59 ??? Resources of extended U.S. continental shelf estimated to be worth 1.3 TRILLION $ Murton,, B.J, Parsons, L.M., Hunter, P. and Miles, P., 2001, Global non-living resources on the the extended continental shelf: Prospects at the year 2000, Intl. Seabed Authority Tech. Study No 1