Complex Studies of Hydrometeorological and Ice Conditions on the Northwestern Shelf of the Caspian Sea Based on Satellite and Expedition Observational Data and Model Calculations

A. V. Frolov, V. V. Asmus, I. V. Zemlyanov, O. I. Zil’bershtein, V. A. Krovotyntsev, V. A. Martyshchenko, and E. A. Mironov

In accordance with the contract of the LUKOIL Oil Company, a cooperation of the Roshydromet organizations (Planeta Research Center for Space Hydrometeorology, a main contractor, Hydrometeorological Research Center of the Russian Federation, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, and State Oceanographic Institute) carried out in 2008 complex studies of the hydrometeorological and ice conditions for the Filanovskii oil- and gas-field facility construction on the northwestern shelf of the Caspian Sea. Three expeditions were organized and conducted within that project: a helicopter ice research expedition (specialists from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute carried out a huge volume of measurements of physicomechanic properties of level, rafted and hummocked ice, and morphometric characteristics of ice piling, hummocks, and stamukhas); specialists from the State Oceanographic Institute organized a ship expedition on studying sea ground exaration formed due to impacts of ice formations (hummocks and stamukhas) using hydro-radar and echo-sounder surveys as well as a complex hydrometeorological and hydrochemical expedition with five autonomous buoy stations mounted in two months. From the moment of ice formation to the end of the expedition activity, an operational space monitoring of the northwestern Caspian Sea was carried out at the Planeta Research Center for Space Hydrometeorology. Based on the NOAA, TERRA, and AQUA satellite data, corrected and geographically fixed satellite images of the area of activity were issued with a periodicity of 6 times per day; index maps on the ice situation (twice a week) and ice situation forecasts (lead-time of 1–7 days). Besides, long-term series of satellite data on the northwestern Caspian Sea are collected and processed: their results are used for estimating seasonal and interannual variability of the drift ice and fast ice. Specialists of the Hydrometeorological Research Center of the Russian Federation completed the work on processing and analysis of library materials, research/technical reports, handbooks, expedition observational data, and on hydrodynamic and probability modeling of long-term series of hydrological, meteorological, and partly ice data. In particular, basic characteristics of the hydrological regime (sea level, currents, and waving) are calculated for the place of the oil platform location and along the pipeline routing. Tentative local specifications on the hydrometeorological regime in the Filanovskii field are worked out based on the results of the work performed.