Arctic Underwater Operational Systems

Abstract

Among the topics to be addressed in this workshop is that of Arctic Underwater Operational Systems. In the workshop announcement such things as life support systems, remote manipulator systems, and underwater navigation and sensing systems, as well as overall undersea system management or integration, were suggested as sub-topics to be dealt with under this subject. In this paper, I shall address the broader issues and problems associated with the successful employment of such systems in the arctic undersea environment and hopefully indicate areas in which some additional research and development would be fruitful in extending existing technologies to arctic undersea problems in general, as well as delineate areas of unique knowledge gaps which hinder progress in this area. I will conclude this paper with some examples from my own experience which illustrate a method of approaching undersea operational problems in the Arctic.