NOAA collecting data during Lake Superior ice breaking

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - The Coast Guard and NOAA are working together during the ice cutting on the Duluth Superior Harbor.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is working on ways to detect and map oil slicks following an oil spill in an icy environment.

Crews have been flying drones in order to differentiate between ice, oil, and water in a natural oil-less environment.

This week NOAA is collecting high-resolution video, temperature, and data from drone-mounted sensors that help us see the water and ice in the case of an oil spill.

“What we are doing is developing tools and techniques to help us better respond to oil spills in ice environment. So the better we can get at collecting data and being able to map where ice oil and water are and get that into the hands of our partners at the coast guard the faster and more efficient the oil spill responses are going to be,” says NOAA Senior Scientist Lisa Dipinto.

NOAA is tasked with developing protocols for how to respond to a worst-case scenario like if an oil spill were to occur in the great lakes or any other icy environment.

Using the data collected on this week’s ice-breaking mission, NOAA will develop a protocol coast guard will integrate them into day to day operations.

That way they’d have a roadmap for how to respond if an incident like that were to ever happen in the Twin Ports.

Copyright 2023 Northern News Now. All rights reserved.