Cli C Arctic Sea-Ice Working Group Activities

Cli. C Arctic Sea-Ice Working Group Activities & Coordination Workshop Summary Sebastian Gerland (NPI, Tromsø, Norway), Don Perovich (CRREL, Hanover, NH-USA), Hajo Eicken (UAF, Fairbanks, AK-USA, hajo. eicken@gi. alaska. edu) Contacts, Cli. C Arctic Sea-Ice Working Group • Climate & the Cryosphere (Cli. C) - Core project of World Climate Research Program: - encourages international communication & cooperation • Principal goal: Assess & quantify impacts of climatic variability & change on cryosphere (incl. consequences for climate system), determine cryosphere stability. • Achieved through: - Enhancing observation & monitoring of cryosphere in support of process studies, model evaluation, change detection Cli. C Arctic Sea-Ice Working Group (since Spring 2008) • Principal goals: Coordination & standardization of sea-ice measurements (focus on ground-based w/ links to remote sensing & modeling); promote integrated international approach to sea-ice components of emerging Arctic observing network • Achieved through: - Workshops, web-based tools, initiatives 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 1

Workshop: Arctic sea-ice observations: Integrated protocols and coordinated data acquisition • Tromsø, 26 -27 January 2009 (local organizers: S. Gerland & T. Villinger) • Sponsored by Cli. C-WCRP and Norwegian Polar Institute • 32 participants from 13 countries • Report and brief summary in EOS (Transact. AGU) forthcoming • Presentations other information online at clic. npolar. no • Presentations & break-out groups on: (1) Identification of key variables to be observed, (2) Standardization of observation protocols & intercomparability, (3) Coordination & summary of planned field activities for 2009 -10 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 2

What to measure: Preview of Workshop report Basic ice and snow • Ice thickness • Ice extent • Ice area • Ice concentration • Snow depth Dynamics • Ice motion • Ice velocity • Ice deformation • Ice stress • Ice strength Thermodynamics • Ice growth • Ice surface melt • Ice bottom melt • Onset of summer melt • Onset of fall freezeup Physical Properties • Ice salinity • Ice temperature • Ice density • Sediments + biology • Inclusion size distribution 22 Mar 2009 Ponds • Melt pond coverage • Pond size distribution • Pond depth • Pond evolution PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update More ice • Ice thickness distribution • Ice age • Ice type • Ice roughness More snow • Snow depth distribution • Snow density • Snow stratigraphy • Snow grain size E-M Properties • Albedo • Extinction coefficient • Backscatter • Emissivity 3

Standardization, protocol & best practices • Definition of measured variable • Measurement methodology: Sampling rate & volume, errors etc. • Derived variable: Underlying model or parameterization, errors, etc. Figures from Haas & Druckenmiller (Sea-ice field techniques handbook) 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 4

• Standardization of observed variables (WMO or indigenous nomenclature) • Development of observation protocol (ASPe. Ct, Arctic) • Best practices: Reference handbook • Standardization: Supporting tools (observation software & databases) Figures from Worby & Eicken (Sea-ice field techniques handbook) 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 5

Best practices: One possible approach Handbook of sea-ice field research techniques 22 Mar. J. Barker Photo: 2009 • Based on interdisciplinary field courses taught in Finland, Japan, U. S. and contributions from practicioners in the field • Multi-media resources (illustrate field methods, protocol & standards documents etc. ) • Publication Fall 2009 University of Alaska Press • Basis for collaborative refinement in context of Cli. C Arctic Sea Ice Working Group (Standardization of ship-based obs & ice core measurements underway) PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 6

Coordination of measurements 22 Mar 2009 • Rapporteurs from ten countries provided overview of national activities in 2009 and 2010 • To help with coordination in upcoming years and promote collaboration, a web site has been set up to provide more information on activities • Please visit: www 3. iarc. uaf. edu/gis/ and provide feedback to Jenny Hutchings (jenny@iarc. uaf. edu) or Hajo Eicken PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 7

www 3. iarc. uaf. edu/gis/ 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 8

Next steps • Review and revision of Arctic sea-ice field campaigns web site please provide comments • Web site open for data entry later this spring - National correspondents & contacts • Subgroups to work on standardization of specific measurement types and furthering of best-practices • Standard variables catalog? • Data management & dissemination 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 9

SEARCH/DAMOCLES Sea Ice Outlook 2008: www. arcus. org/search/seaiceoutlook Sep 12, 2008 Near-record ice minimum Summer minimum median ice edge (‘ 79 -’ 00) Perennial ice ‘ 08 • Ice conditions in 2008 governed by disproportionate fraction of first-year ice (2007 minimum) and average summer weather 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 10

SEARCH/DAMOCLES Sea Ice Outlook 2008: www. arcus. org/search/seaiceoutlook • SEARCH/DAMOCLES Arctic Observations Integration Workshop March 2008: How will 2008 Arctic sea ice season evolve? What is the minimum extent likely to be? • Sea Ice Outlook as international, collaborative, integrative effort to anticipate seasonal evolution of sea ice in 2008 • Jim Overland (NOAA-PMEL) as leader of effort, international core integration and oversight groups and SEARCH Project Office to facilitate effort • May-August: Monthly call for assessments of what September minimum will be, what assessment is based on, what is needed to improve assessment • Roughly 20 individuals or groups from a range of different countries responded, in addition several regional digests 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 11

8/10/08 U. S. Interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) & EU DAMOCLES Sea Ice Outlook • 2008 Summer Sea Ice Outlook, www. arcus. org/search/seaiceoutlook as one approach to synthesis and integration • Forging of new partnerships between different ice users with similar information needs 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 12

Frank Kauker (DAMOCLES ice-ocean modeling effort): Ice extent - start from 1. June 2008 'May' outlook Predict. minima: mean=4. 42 σ=0. 40 1989, 1993 27. June: σ=0. 21

• 2008 Arctic sea-ice outlook, www. arcus. org/search/seaiceoutlook 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update Zhang et al. , 2008 14

Sea Ice Outlook: Integration of remote sensing & buoy measurements • Anomalously high bottom melt rates persisted into 2008 Perovich, Richter-Menge et al. ; August 1, 2008 Aug 10, 2008 nsidc. org • Key observations & insights from AON cdp. ucar. edu/cadis Kaleschke; August 11, 2008 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 15

2009 Sea Ice Outlook • 2009 Sea Ice Outlook planning underway (workshop in Boulder last week) • Further refinements, including initialization of ensemble simulations, regional outlooks, more effective communication & rapid turnaround • Visit www. arcus. org/search/seaiceoutlook for details 22 Mar 2009 PAG Mtg - Cli. C Sea Ice WG Update 16