Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

It is evident that climate change is affecting our planet. Satellite images show drastic changes in the Arctic as the thick perennial sea ice pack melts and is replaced annually by thin ice. Models predict that the Arctic Ocean will be seasonally ice-free by mid-century. Sea ice affects large-scale weather patterns, ocean circulation, coastal communities, and ecosystems. As transportation through the Arctic rises in response to reduced ice conditions, compounded by plans for expansion in offshore oil production, the risk of an oil spill in this fragile environment increases. With the rapid changes in the Arctic, there is an urgent need to improve microwave remote sensing technology and methods that are used to evaluate sea ice state and to address the rising potential for environmental disasters like major oil spills. The overall goal of my research program is to devise and use remote sensing systems to understand our changing climate, with a focus on the Arctic. Research will be performed in three areas: 1) Sea Ice Remote Sensing Experiments for Detecting Oil in Sea Ice, 2) Electromagnetic Modeling of Sea Ice, and 3) Devising and Testing New Measurement Platforms for Arctic Remote Sensing. My team develops experimental techniques using surface, drone, and satellite radars to link small-scale changes in sea ice physics to radar data and images. Radar images, which are used for navigation and climate studies, are correlated with the physical and thermodynamic state of sea ice. Yet, the effect of small-scale changes in sea ice on satellite-scale measurements are not fully understood, from both a spatial scale and temporal evolution. We will address these gaps through this program. To interpret radar data, my team creates electromagnetic models to describe how microwaves interact with the complex sea ice medium. New physics-based modeling approaches enhance our understanding of radar wave interactions and will be used to develop techniques for detecting oil spills in sea ice. Building on modeling results, my team will design, build, and test remote sensing payloads to be integrated onto drones. Sensors will be tuned to detect specific targets, such as oil products, and an emphasis on low mass antenna designs will increase the flight range for drones. Discoveries in Arctic remote sensing will help maintain Canada's status as a leader in technological, scientific, and economic issues related to sustainable development (e.g., Canada's Ocean Action Plan). My program builds on collaborative research between the Price Faculty of Engineering and the Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS) at the University of Manitoba, supported by partnerships with industry. Hardware research will be conducted in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, while remote sensing research will be performed at the Sea-ice Environmental Research Facility (SERF) and the CFI-funded Churchill Marine Observatory (CMO). This DG will train 6 HQP over the next 5 years.