Preliminary simulation of a deployable GPS navigation system for ice-relative dead reckoning of underwater vehicles under moving sea ice

This paper proposes a method of ice-relative dead reckoning for underwater vehicles operating beneath moving sea ice. Our proposed method integrates vehicle velocities in a geodeitically-referenced frame through the use of a vehicle-mounted upward-looking Doppler sonar to measure relative ice-vehicle velocities, vehicle-mounted north-seeking gyrocompass to estimate vehicle heading, and two deployable Global Navigation Satellite System beacons to estimate ice linear and angular velocities. To demonstrate this, we present results from a preliminary simulation of an underwater vehicle navigating relative to a translating and rotating ice floe. Simulation parameters, including ice velocities, sensor update rates, and sensor error models are based on values described in the literature. Our results suggest that while such a system has not be experimentally validated, it has the potential to help realize ice-relative navigation beneath moving ice, without the deployment of deep-ocean or ice-suspended acoustic navigational aids. Lastly, potential directions for future research are presented.