Addressing the challenges to search and rescue operations caused by ice conditions in Nunavut, Canada

Kikkert, Peter and Quigley, John and Belton, Ian and Brown, Robert and Ennis, Kerri-Ann and Goerlandt, Floris and Howick, Susan and Lackenbauer, P. Whitney and Mak, Lawrence and Pedersen, Calvin and Pelot, Ronald and Shan, Desai and Walls, Lesley and Wright, George (2023) Addressing the challenges to search and rescue operations caused by ice conditions in Nunavut, Canada. In: 27th International Conference on Port and Ocean Engineering under Arctic Conditions, 2023-06-12 - 2023-06-16, University of Strathclyde.

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Abstract

Search and rescue (SAR) operations on the land, water, and ice of Nunavut are often complex and challenging due to austere environmental conditions, the strain they place on local resources, and the vast distances involved in responding with Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers or southern-based aerial assets. Using the results of a literature review, practitioner interviews, and three regional SAR roundtables conducted in November 2022 in cooperation with Nunavut Emergency Management, this paper will assess: a) how changing ice conditions in the region add to these challenges by increasing the risk of SAR incidents; b) the ways in which the ice affects response operations; and c) how ice conditions exacerbate other difficulties in the SAR system. This paper concludes with a discussion of how the Nunavut Search and Rescue (NSAR) Project aims to address these challenges, focusing on modelling and analysis approaches.

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