Operational satellite imagery help to arrange ship traffic around whelping grounds of harp seals in the White Sea and prevent death of animals. Images from satellites equipped with radar and detail optical sensors are received and processed by specialists of ScanEx RDC to produce and promptly transfer data to the Ice Operations Headquarters of the Port of Archangelsk and the FSBI Northern Administration of the Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring for routing ships around seal whelping grounds.
Based on the results of aerial survey and satellite data of March 17, 2013 a large whelping area of harp seals was located in the region of the Dvina Bay 16 kilometers north of the Winter Coast. On March 22 the rookery moved to the neck of the White Sea and as ice drifted by March 25 it assumed a westerly elongated shape stretching from the Onega Peninsula to the neck of the White Sea along the Winter Coast.
According to the order of the Captain of the Archangelsk Sea Port Nikolai Gurinov, in March – April 2013 information shall be collected on locations of mass whelping grounds of the harp seal for prompt generation and forwarding recommendations to ships to navigate in ice at sufficient distances from those grounds as safe and practical as possible.
As it was earlier reported by specialists of the FSBI Northern Administratoin of the Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring, bigger responsibility falls on them with regard to provision of ice information and plotting of recommended routes, which at all times become basis for final recommendations issued by the Ice Operations Headquarters of the Archangelsk Port Captain.
Since 2009 the Research and Development Center ScanEx has been engaged in ice situation monitoring in the White Sea for organization of ice-breaker and ship navigation bypassing whelping grounds of the White Sea population of the harp seal in the whelping period. Due to uncontrolled early spring ship passage through whelping grounds the animal population decreases significantly: up to 500 – 1000 baby seals die while a single ice channel is laid.
Locations of animal accumulation on detailed satellite images are detected using indirect signatures – holes (blow-throughs) in ice, linear trails left by animals moving to holes, etc.
According to representatives of the FSBI Northern Administratoin of the Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring, positive outcome of the project for protecting the White Sea population of the harp seal proves that nature protection tasks are accomplished efficiently with application of integrated up-to-date information (ship navigation data, aerial surveys and space imagery, and routes recommended by the Department of River and Sea Hydrological Forecasts of the Hydrometcenter).
ScanEx RDC will continue satellite imaging of the White Sea till April.
