Polar Ocean Observations: A Critical Gap in the Observing System and Its Effect on Environmental Predictions From Hours to a Season

• Published in: Frontiers in Marine Science
• Main Authors: Smith, Gregory C., Allard, Richard, Babin, Marcel, Bertino, Laurent Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, Bergen, Chevallier, Matthieu Météo France, Toulouse . Division of Marine and Oceanography; Université de Toulouse, Toulouse . CNRS. Météo France. CNRM, Corlett, Gary European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Darmstadt, Crout, Julia Perspecta, Inc., Bay St. Louis, MS . Stennis Space Center, Davidson, Fraser Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. John’s, NL, Delille, Bruno Université de Liège . Chemical Oceanography Unit, Gille, Sarah T. Univ. of California, San Diego, CA . Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, Hebert, David Naval Research Lab., Bay St. Louis, MS . Stennis Space Center, Hyder, Patrick Met Office, Exeter, Intrieri, Janet National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , Boulder, CO . Earth System Research Lab. Physical Sciences Division, Lagunas, José Université Laval-CNRS, Quebec City . Takuvik, Larnicol, Gilles Collecte Localisation Satellites, Toulouse, Kaminski, Thomas The Inversion Lab, Hamburg, Kater, Belinda Arcadis Nederland B.V., Zwolle, Kauker, Frank Ocean Atmosphere Systems, Hamburg, Alfred Wegener Inst. for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Marec, Claudie Université Laval-CNRS, Quebec City . Takuvik; Laboratoire d’Oceanographie Physique et Spatiale, CNRS – IFREMER – IRD – UBO, Plouzané, Mazloff, Matthew Univ. of California, San Diego, CA . Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, Metzger, E. Joseph Naval Research Lab., Bay St. Louis, MS . Stennis Space Center, Mordy, Calvin Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA . Joint Inst. for the Study of the Atmosphere and Oceans, O’Carroll, Anne European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Darmstadt, Olsen, Steffen M. Danish Meteorological Institute, Copenhagen, Phelps, Michael Perspecta, Inc., Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, MS, Posey, Pamela Perspecta, Inc., Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, MS, Prandi, Pierre Collecte Localisation Satellites, Toulouse, Rehm, Eric Université Laval-CNRS, Quebec City . Takuvik, Reid, Phillip Bureau of Meteorology Hobart, TAS, Rigor, Ignatius Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA . Polar Science Center, Sandven, Stein Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, Bergen, Shupe, Matthew National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , Boulder, CO . Earth System Research Lab. Physical Sciences Division; Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO . Cooperative Inst. for Research in Environmental Sciences, Swart, Sebastiaan Univ. of Gothenburg . Dept. of Marine Sciences; Univ. of Cape Town . Dept. of Oceanography, Smedstad, Ole Martin Perspecta, Inc., Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, MS, Solomon, Amy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , Boulder, CO . Earth System Research Lab., Storto, Andrea Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation, La Spezia, Thibaut, Pierre Collecte Localisation Satellites, Toulouse, Toole, John Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, Wood, Kevin Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA . Joint Inst. for the Study of the Atmosphere and Oceans, Xie, Jiping Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, Bergen, Yang, Qinghua Sun Yat-Sen Univ., Guangzhou . School of Atmospheric Sciences. Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Climate Change and Natural Disaster Studies
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Arctic; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Ice Shelf; Sea ice; ice covered areas
• Online Access: http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1628047; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1628047; https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00429

There is a growing need for operational oceanographic predictions in both the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions. In the former, this is driven by a declining ice cover accompanied by an increase in maritime traffic and exploitation of marine resources. Oceanographic predictions in the Antarctic are also important, both to support Antarctic operations and also to help elucidate processes governing sea ice and ice shelf stability. However, a significant gap exists in the ocean observing system in polar regions, compared to most areas of the global ocean, hindering the reliability of ocean and sea ice forecasts. This gap can also be seen from the spread in ocean and sea ice reanalyses for polar regions which provide an estimate of their uncertainty. The reduced reliability of polar predictions may affect the quality of various applications including search and rescue, coupling with numerical weather and seasonal predictions, historical reconstructions (reanalysis), aquaculture and environmental management including environmental emergency response. Here, we outline the status of existing near-real time ocean observational efforts in polar regions, discuss gaps, and explore perspectives for the future. Specific recommendations include a renewed call for open access to data, especially real-time data, as a critical capability for improved sea ice and weather forecasting and other environmental prediction needs. Dedicated efforts are also needed to make use of additional observations made as part of the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP; 2017– 2019) to inform optimal observing system design. To provide a polar extension to the Argo network, it is recommended that a network of ice-borne sea ice and upper-ocean observing buoys be deployed and supported operationally in ice-covered areas together with autonomous profiling floats and gliders (potentially with ice detection capability) in seasonally ice covered seas. Finally, additional efforts to better measure and parameterize surface exchanges in polar regions are much ...