New predictions of extreme keel depths and scour frequencies for the Beaufort Sea using ice thickness statistics

► Extreme keel depths and scour frequencies are predicted from submarine sonar data. ► Results for Beaufort Sea coastal zone show large decreases between 1976 and 2007. ► This is due to replacement of multiyear ice by first-year ice in this region. ► Implications are that pipeline burial depths in coastal zone can be reduced so long as first-year ice remains dominant.