Iridium’s Unique Role in the Polar Regions
Reliable Satellite Coverage from Pole to Pole
Our one-of-a-kind service coverage in the Arctic and Antarctic bridges the scientific and business communities by helping researchers achieve their objectives by providing real-time data transmission for tracking sea levels, temperatures, water salinity, composition of the atmosphere, and more. New data is being collected and analyzed on an almost daily basis to help scientists study the climate, weather, geology and wildlife of these unique regions.
We leverage our 450+ partners’ specialized knowledge and resources to deliver innovative solutions to users across a diverse set of industries around the globe. Our partners have created some of the world’s most innovative polar loT solutions in operation today, powered by our unrivaled pole-to-pole satellite constellation.
Iridium Partner Polar loT Solutions Examples
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
The Woods Hole Oceanographic lnstitute's SeaBED Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) (AUV), called ‘Jaguar’, helped produce the world’s first detailed, high-resolution 3-D maps of Antarctic sea-ice. This is useful for marine biological, geological, and archaeological applications that all share the need for high-resolution optical and acoustic imaging of the seafloor.
Remote Weather Stations
The MetOcean Polar Automated Weather Station (PAWS) takes measurements of air, ice and ocean temperatures, along with snow depth and ice thickness. It utilizes the Iridium® network to send aggregated data from a variety of sensors, including acoustic snow depth sounders, air temperature probes, and acoustic ice sensors located below the arctic ice.
MetOcean’s Polar Ocean Profiling System (POPS) is an ice platform, which logs and transmits meteorological and oceanographic data. The design is compact and lightweight to allow for easy deployment. Data is transmitted in real time over the Iridium network, providing critical information from regions where no other communications path is as reliable as Iridium.
Ocean Buoys
The UpTempO from MetOcean is an Iridium network-based reporting data collection and processing system, designed for oceanographic and polar applications. The system can operate unattended in the harshest of climates and conditions.
MetOcean’s Surface Velocity Program (SVP, iSVP), is a compact polar weather station that is air-deployable, buoyant, ruggedized, and ideal for remote and harsh environments. It was developed to assist meteorological and oceanographic scientific communities and transmits sensor data crucial for weather forecasting.
Ice Mass Balance Buoys, installed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, measure the Arctic Sea ice cover. Designed for multi-year service, the Seasonal Ice Mass Balance Buoy (SIMB) program was developed in response to the recent dramatic shift to a younger, thinner ice cover. Data is collected and transmitted back through the Iridium network to provide knowledge needed for insight on fundamental sea ice thermodynamic processes to help researchers understand complex atmospheric-ice-ocean interaction.
Wave Measurement Buoys, installed by the Office of Naval Research’s Sea State mission, measure wave movements in the western Arctic Ocean. Four types of buoys were released and monitored over 1-3 days: SWIFT (by APL-UW), Wave Buoys (by Polar Scientific, Ltd), Wave-Ice buoys (by NIWA), and Waverider G4 (by Datawell) to produce valuable scientific measurements to increase fundamental knowledge and provide technology options for future naval capabilities and systems.
Ocean Profiler Buoys are deployed by the North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO) to monitor environmental changes at Camp Barneo in the upper Arctic Ocean. The buoys transmit throughout the harsh winter months and provide researchers with valuable real-time temperature and salinity data using the Iridium satellite constellation.
Autonomous Ozone Buoys are stationed on Arctic sea-ice to measure ozone levels, bromine monoxide radicals, CO2, and other parameters, for up to a year without human intervention. The O-Buoys relay data back to land every hour via satellite. Having access to real-time data is vital for chemical and organic research and can only be achieved using the Iridium satellite network.
Exploration
Iridium employee Sam Wright visited Antarctica and stayed connected with an Iridium GO!® device. This allowed him to enjoy visiting the icy continent for the first time, with the peace of mind knowing that he could contact family and friends at home.
Explorer Colin O’Brady stayed connected with Iridium when he successfully completed The Impossible Row – the world’s first completely human powered ocean row across Drake Passage – from the southern tip of South America to Antarctica. Iridium was the only option to keep Colin, and his team connected on this dangerous expedition.
Ultra-endurance cyclist, climate activist and founder of the Antarctica Unlimited Project, Omar Di Felice, relied on Iridium to remain connected during his historic solo bike expedition across Antarctica. During his trek, he had an Iridium Extreme® at-the-ready, allowing him to communicate while on-the-move, and share important climate change findings along the way. Both devices feature military-grade housing and deliver Iridium’s truly global, weather-resistant, L-band satellite connectivity.