Atmospheric Profiles, Clouds and the Evolution of Sea Ice Cover in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas

• Main Author: Lawrence, Dale A
• Other Authors: COLORADO UNIV AT BOULDER DEPT OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SCIENCES
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *ICE FORMATION; *SEASONAL VARIATIONS; ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE; BEAUFORT SEA; CHUKCHI SEA; CLOUDS; HUMIDITY; INTERACTIONS; OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS; SEA ICE; WIND; OCEAN TEMPERATURE; SIZ(SEASONAL ICE ZONE); SIZRS(SEASONAL ICE ZONE RECONNAISSANCE SURVEYS); Chukchi Sea; Beaufort Sea; Chukchi; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA572177; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA572177

This is a collaborative research project with the University of Washington (Axel Schweiger, PI). Its purpose is to examine the role of sea-ice and cloud interactions in the retreat of the seasonal ice zone (SIZ). As sea ice retreats further, changes in lower atmospheric temperature, humidity, winds, and clouds are likely to result from changed sea ice concentrations and ocean temperatures. These changes in turn will affect the evolution of the SIZ. An appropriate representation of this feedback loop in models is critical if we want to advance prediction skill in the SIZ. The overall project is an integrated observation and modeling program aimed at understanding the interplay of atmosphere, ice, and ocean in the SIZ of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas (BCSIZ). It will take advantage of routine Coast Guard C- 130 domain awareness missions that take place at two-weekly intervals from March through November. This portion of the overall project will contribute to technology development by adapting and deploying a new generation of truly expendable ($700) micro-aerial vehicles (Data Hawk and SmartSonde) designed to obtain detailed high-vertical-resolution temperature, humidity and wind profiles and cloud layering information that cannot be obtained with traditional dropsondes. Our vision is that these vehicles will deliver new, inexpensive measurement capabilities for research and operational purposes in the data sparse region of the BCSIZ as well as other regions of the globe. This project provides a unique and cost-effective opportunity to establish a fully integrated observation and modeling program that builds on existing experience and data in a region that is poorly understood and is undergoing rapid change. Improved prediction of the marine environment in this area may be critical for future Navy operations.