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: 2013
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *ICE FORMATION; *SEASONAL VARIATIONS; ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE; BEAUFORT SEA; CHUKCHI SEA; CLOUDS; HUMIDITY; INTERACTIONS; OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS; SEA ICE; WIND; Chukchi Sea; Beaufort Sea; Chukchi; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA601431; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA601431

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 C130 domain awareness missions that take place at twoweekly intervals from March through November.