Search and Rescue Applications: On the Need to Improve Ocean Observing Data Systems in Offshore or Remote Locations

Abstract

Search and rescue (SAR) in remote maritime locations is a difficult mission. One of the limitations in these isolated regions is the low density of available oceanographic data for model validation. In order to examine the state of remote search and rescue a review of maritime search theory and advances was conducted. This included basic drift theory, leeway, available environmental data, and the current methods used by the United States Coast Guard for SAR operations. In particular the U.S. Coast Guard's fourteenth district's SAR case history was examined and it was found that 60% of SAR cases fall outside of areas that have high-resolution wind and current data, with only global scale model forecasts available. In addition, 2% of cases occurred in offshore waters (> 12 nm from land) and exceeded 36 h in asset response time. Three SAR simulations were run off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii using the same wind data but different surface current models. These simulations had extremely large (up to 12,000 km 2) search areas, highlighting the need for solutions that narrow these expected areas.

Air Pollution and Sea Pollution Seen from Space

“…The size of the search area grows rapidly over time, and it is important to have accurate environmental data (winds and currents) to reduce this area and quickly find the target you are being looked for. Futch and Allen (2019) state that 60% of SAR incidents under the US Coast Guard areas of responsibility are outside areas where high-resolution wind and current data are available, and only global forecasts are available. Finding solutions that reduce the size of these areas of intervention is therefore crucial.…”

Regionalizing the Impacts of Wind‐ and Wave‐Induced Currents on Surface Ocean Dynamics: A Long‐Term Variability Analysis in the Mediterranean Sea

“…In particular, the sea surface is a key transitional layer where most biological and biogeochemical activities concentrate and tightly interact with vigorous physical features (e.g., Hernández‐Carrasco et al., 2014) ultimately affecting marine biodiversity patterns (e.g., Villarino et al., 2018) and atmosphere‐ocean coupled processes (e.g., Bronselaer & Zanna, 2020). Hence, a precise knowledge of the circulation in the upper oceanic boundary layer and of its variability is key to many issues of broad scientific and practical importance, ranging from ecosystem and fisheries management (e.g., Dubois et al., 2016; Futch & Allen, 2019), the tracking of marine pollution including microplastic (e.g., Van Sebille et al., 2015) to marine safety such as search and rescue operations (e.g., Sayol et al., 2014).…”

The Impact of the Improved Search Object Detection on the SAR Action Success Probability in Maritime Transport

“…The main characteristic of the life raft enabling the determination of its most probable position (the reference position P 0 ) and size of search area (A 0 ) is leeway. The leeway functions of life rafts in relation to wind speed ( Figure 3) have been the subject of extensive research [1,10,[12][13][14][15][16]18,19] and are used in models for determining the search area.…”