Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Ice-albedo Feedback Processes in the Arctic Basin

• Main Authors: Maykut, Gary A, Grenfell, Thomas C
• Other Authors: WASHINGTON UNIV SEATTLE DEPT OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1997
• Subjects: Atmospheric Physics; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Optics; *ALBEDO; *SEA ICE; ARCTIC OCEAN; FEEDBACK; OCEAN BASINS; RADIATION ABSORPTION; ICE-ALBEDO FEEDBACK PROCESSES; ARCTIC; SHORTWAVE RADIATION; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; albedo; Arctic Basin; Ice; ice pack; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA627634; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA627634

Our overall objective is to develop a quantitative understanding of the processes which collectively make up the ice-albedo feedback mechanism. This mechanism is generally believed to be a major factor in amplifying variations that occur within the earth s climate system. To achieve this understanding, we must first learn how shortwave radiation is absorbed and distributed in the ice and upper ocean, then assess the effects of this distribution on the regional heat and mass balance of the ice pack. Complicating the problem are a variety of issues related to the extreme sub-grid scale variability of the arctic ice cover and to how such variability can be accounted for in large-scale climate and general circulation models.