Iceberg detection by radar

The performance of marine radar for ice detection is investigated using iceberg observational data collected during three years of offshore drilling in the Labrador Sea region. One thousand "first sightings" of icebergs during drilling operations revealed a maximum range of detection of 87km, with the median value being 27.8km. A subset or over two hundred observations was used to examine the variation in range of first detection as a function of iceberg height, waterline length and projected area. Also, presented are envelope curves representing the upper and lower detection bounds for the observed data set. The values, derived as they are from actual marine radar performance, represent a unique iceberg detection data set.