Award Abstract #0612391
Ice mass balance buoy network: Coordination with DAMOCLES

NSF Org:	ARC Arctic Sciences Division
Initial Amendment Date:	January 22, 2007
Latest Amendment Date:	February 24, 2009
Award Number:	0612391
Award Instrument:	Interagency Agreement
Program Manager:	Martin Jeffries ARC Arctic Sciences Division OPP Office of Polar Programs
Start Date:	February 1, 2007
Expires:	January 31, 2010 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$869766
Investigator(s):	Jacqueline Richter-Menge Jacqueline.A.Richter-Menge@army.mil (Principal Investigator) Donald Perovich (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Department of Army Cold Regions Research & Engineering Lab 72 Lyme Road Hanover, NH 03755 603/646-4219
NSF Program(s):	AON IMPLEMENTATION, ARCTIC RESRCH SUPPRT & LOGISTI
Field Application(s):	0311000 Polar Programs-Related
Program Reference Code(s):	OTHR, 9150, 1079, 0000
Program Element Code(s):	5293, 5205

ABSTRACT

This proposal seeks support to deploy an array of autonomous ice mass balance buoys designed to ascertain thermodynamic changes in the mass balance of Arctic sea ice. Specifically, the ice mass balance (IMB) buoys will be incorporated in the Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies (DAMOCLES) atmosphere-ice-ocean observing array with the intention of being operational during the International Polar Year (IPY). The sea ice component of the DAMOCLES sea ice array includes a variety of instruments that examine ice thickness at varying temporal and spatial scales. The IMB adds the critical capability to autonomously attribute thermodynamically-driven changes in the thickness of the ice cover. The IMB buoy can determine what portion of the thickness changes are due to

differences in snow depth, ice growth, surface melt, and bottom melt. A substantial portion of this proposed effort will be directed towards building and deploying IMBs. In the first year, 14 IMBs will be built and deployed with logistics support provided by DAMOCLES. During the deployment of each buoy, a surface-based survey will be conducted to determine the spatial distribution of snow depth and ice thickness. The effort in the second and third years will consist of analyzing, disseminating, and archiving the data from the IMBs, to create a data base of information that can be widely used to improve the understanding of changes in the Arctic sea ice cover. This work will significantly enhance ongoing ice mass balance (IMB) buoy deployments currently sponsored by NOAA, as a contribution to Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH), and coordinated with the International Arctic Buoy Programme (IABP) and the North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO). The extensive outreach plans associated with DAMOCLES, SEARCH, and IPY will be fully supported. Further, the existing ice balance Web site (http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/sid/IMB/index.htm) will be expanded to include the IMB data collected during DAMOCLES and a section designed specifically for the public, presenting the sea ice mass balance work in the broader climate change context. Educational outreach will be demonstrated through classroom visits with a local elementary school, the involvement of undergraduate students, and community lectures.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

Gascard, J.-C., et al.. "Exploring Arctic Transpolar Drift During Dramatic Sea Ice Retreat," Eos Trans. AGU, v.89(3), 2008, p. 21.

Nghiem S. V., I. G. Rigor, D. K. Perovich, P. Clemente-Colón, J. W. Weatherly, G. Neumann. "Rapid reduction of Arctic perennial sea ice," Geophys. Res. Lett., v.34, 2007.

Perovich, D.K. and J.A. Richter-Menge. "Loss of sea ice in the Arctic," Annual Review of Marine Science, v.1, 2009, p. 417.

Perovich, D.K., J.A. Richter-Menge, K.F. Jones, and B. Light. "Sunlight, water, and ice: extreme Arctic sea ice melt during the summer of 2007," Geophysical Research Letters, v.35, 2008, p. L11501.

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