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Validating Arctic Geographic Response Strategies with Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
DescriptionThe vast land area of Alaska, lack of road-based infrastructure, and low population density outside of the three Alaskan metropolitan centers, makes oil and hazardous substance spill planning and preparedness extremely difficult. US Coast Guard Sector Anchorage is responsible for the security of nearly forty thousand miles of this remote coastline, most of it only accessible by plane or boat. In this remote region, USCG teams rely on preapproved Geographic Response Strategies (GRSs) to reduce response times and increase the likelihood of successful tactical actions. GRSs are response equipment deployment strategies that first responders use to immediately prevent and/or mitigate environmental damage following a spill. Validation of the GRSs in the extensive roadless areas of Alaska challenges the capacity of USCG teams, especially considering the increasing impacts of climate change in the Arctic. Climate change is causing increases in storm severity, shoreline erosion, and permafrost thaw, further exacerbating planning challenges by drastically changing the established GRS, which functionally reduces preparedness within the region. The USCG and the University of Alaska Fairbanks have teamed up to address this problem and improve maritime domain awareness by leveraging uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) technology to map the Alaskan coast and validate the pre-approved GRS in the state.
Event Type
Poster
TimeMonday, May 13th5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
LocationExhibit Hall G
Tags
Preparedness
Prevention
Remediation
Response
Restoration