Put unsafe polar ice on surveillance

The ice edge in Antarctica is not as safe as it has historically been. Losing the annual supply to the Troll research station is risky. Automatic and continuous monitoring with alerts provides increased security.

It is a matter of life and health and is one of the pillars of safety during the demanding work when Troll receives supplies for the next 12 months.

Customised solution

Cautus Geo has developed a specialised solution. It is based on experience of measuring snowfall in Norway.

- In Antarctica, we can test the equipment in harsh conditions. Solar energy provides power. Communication is satellite-based, and alarms are signalled by a siren," says CTO Lars Krangnes of Cautus Geo.

The Norwegian research station Troll receives supplies once a year. The supplies arrive by boat. Unloading takes a week. The risk is that the ice will calve during unloading.

- "We have now strengthened our control of the ice. For the first time, we have automatic and continuous monitoring with real-time analyses and alarms," says Krangnes.

Leading geo company

Cautus Geo is one of Europe's leading technology companies in automatic monitoring of structures, land, water, climate and the environment. The company has developed a wide range of sensor technology and a proprietary cloud solution, Cautus Web, for automatic and continuous collection, processing, analysis and notification based on data from various sources.

- "The challenges in Antarctica are multifaceted. They include power supply and communication solutions," says Krangnes.

The Norwegian Polar Institute operates the Troll research station. The institute exercises authority, manages land and has all responsibilities at Troll. The annual supply of equipment comes by sea from Norway via Cape Town. The unloading operation at the ice edge is 300 kilometres from the research station. Up to 100 containers of equipment are taken in there every year.

200 metres of unsafe ice

Until 2021, the Polar Institute used a fixed unloading point, but it is no longer considered safe. The ice edge has calved after a large iceberg sailed into the area.

The ice is 200 metres thick. Yet it still calves from time to time. One safety solution is continuous monitoring with real-time data and alarms.

In the autumn of 2024, the institute started looking for automated solutions in earnest.

- Last year, Cautus Geo designed a semi-automatic solution. It has now been further developed - and the experience is good. The solution can be set up and taken down locally for secure storage every year," says Krangnes.

Flexible design

The set-up is part of a larger system in which the Polar Institute also utilises other instruments as well as manual and visual observations. It has great flexibility. Both the ice edge and other cracks in the unloading area are therefore monitored before and during the important unloading work.

During this year's unloading, the ice was stationary. "No movements were registered, but now we know that the technology and the system with automatic and continuous monitoring works. We were able to test everything.

- "The uniqueness of the project is the collection of data in one of the world's most desolate places with real-time analysis in the cloud solution Cautus Web and alerting with a siren on an ice floe at the South Pole," says Krangnes.

FACTS: Equipment in the project

• Sensors - Drawire X 8
• Total station
• Siren (for sound alert)
• Power supply (solar cells)
• Cautus Web for data analysis and alarm via satellite