News Archive

SEARCH and the Polar Research Board announce a call for abstract submissions to a general session of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2015 Fall Meeting on the effects of system-wide Arctic change (Session #8477). The meeting will be held in San Francisco 14-18 December. The abstract submission deadline is 5 August 2015. For more information, contact Sea Ice Action Team co-lead Jennifer Francis (francis [at] imcs.rutgers.edu).

Registration is now available for a SIPN webinar entitled "Industry Needs for Seasonal and Sub-seasonal Sea Ice Information and Predictions." This webinar will provide a brief overview of contrasts and commonalities between sea ice variables relevant for geophysical or climate research and those relevant for operational needs in Arctic seas. It is scheduled for Tuesday, 11 August 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. AKDT. For more information, contact Betsy Turner-Bogren at ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

Igor Polyakov et al. seek public comment on a white paper summarizing the concept of an experimental program drafted by participants of an open workshop entitled "Observations of upper-ocean and sea-ice interactions in the eastern Arctic Ocean," which convened 24-25 April 2014. More information about the workshop is available here. The deadline for public comments is Friday, 24 July. Comments and questions should be directed to Igor Polyakov (igor [at] iarc.uaf.edu).

To download a pdf of the White Paper and an Executive Summary, please see Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) Related Efforts.

The Sea Ice Prediction Network announces a call for Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) contributions to the July report—based on May and June data. The Sea Ice Outlook provides an open process for those interested in Arctic sea ice to share predictions and ideas about the monthly September minimum sea ice extent. Join a growing network of sea ice experts and contribute a pan-Arctic, regional, or informal Outlook.

The 2015 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) - June Report received great media coverage by the Alaska Dispatch News. In an article, posted on 25 June, reporter Yareth Rosen provides a summary of the SIO goals and process, range of methods contributors used, links to Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) and associated agencies, and the June median outlook for sea ice extent in September -- converted to square miles (1.93 million square miles).

We received a record 32 contributions using a range of methods including statistical, numerical models, trend-based estimates, and subjective information. The median Outlook value for September 2015 sea ice extent is 5.0 million square kilometers, and predictions fall in a range of 3.3 to 5.7 km² (with the exception of one 0.98 km² outlying estimate). This month’s report also includes a discussion about the 11 dynamical model contributions as well as sections on regional predictions and the current conditions of the sea ice.

The SIPN 2014 Sea Ice Action Team members Julienne Stroeve, Ed Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, Virginie Guemas, Stephen Howell, François Massonnet, and Steffen Tietsche published a discussion of the 2014 Sea Ice Outlook and forecasting skill of models that predict the extent and other characteristics of Arctic sea ice cover. Their article "Improving Prediction of Arctic Sea Ice Extent" is published in EOS.

The Spring 2015 issue of Witness the Arctic is now published online. This issue includes an ARCUS Member Highlight of the Smithsonian Institution’s Arctic Studies Center; updates on the SEARCH program, related activities, and research; news about recent appointments to the NSF Division of Polar Programs; reports from Arctic natural and social science, data, education, and public outreach projects and interagency programs; updates from USARC, the Polar Research Board, ICARP III, and ASSW; an introduction of ARCUS’ new Executive Director, Robert Rich, from the ARCUS Board President; and a note from Dr. Rich to the community.

The Sea Ice Prediction Network announces the launch of the 2015 Sea Ice Outlook season with the first call for contributions for the June report! The Sea Ice Outlook provides an open process for those interested in Arctic sea ice to share predictions and ideas about the monthly September minimum sea ice extent. Join a growing network of sea ice experts and contribute a pan-Arctic, regional, or informal Outlook.

ARCUS has a new submission form available for ArcticInfo, our moderated mailing list that keeps over 6,000 people in the Arctic community informed about funding opportunities, new resources, upcoming meetings, job openings, and more. The submission form provides an easy way for the community to submit announcements and make sure that all relevant information is included.

If you have an announcement that you want distributed, either use the submission form (recommended!) or email list [at] arcus.org.

Announcing the recent release of new IceBridge and CryoSat-2 sea ice thickness data sets for the 2015 spring season.

The NASA IceBridge Sea Ice Freeboard, Snow Depth, and Thickness Quick Look data set is an evaluation product containing derived geophysical data products retrieved over the Arctic sea ice cover.

The NASA CryoSat-2 Sea Ice Freeboard, Thickness, and Snow Depth Quick Look product is an experimental sea ice thickness data set containing derived geophysical data products retrieved over the Arctic sea ice cover.

The Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) announces a call for informal and early season contributions to the 2015 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO). This call offers a forum for sharing information on sea ice parameters other than extent and/or for other time periods than are included in the regular monthly reports. It is in addition to the calls for contributions to the regular SIO monthly reports in June, July, and August.

Final report for the Joint Antarctic School Expedition (JASE) pilot program. The program goal was to advance polar science education and understanding by students from the U.S. and Chile through hands-­on field experiences.

The Board of Directors of ARCUS announced today the selection of Robert H. Rich, PhD, CAE as its Executive Director. He will assume the duties of leading the Consortium's staff on 18 May 2015. Rich earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master's degree from Harvard University, and a Bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Most recently, Dr. Rich served as Director, Strategy Development for the American Chemical Society (ACS), where he served for 16 years in a variety of roles including career development, research grants, membership, and strategy. Prior to joining the ACS, he worked in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Research Competitiveness Program and at the U.S. National Institutes of Health in fundamental research and in the Office of Science Policy.

The archive is now available for the 5 May 2015 Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) webinar "Observations of Arctic Snow and Sea Ice Thickness from Satellite and Airborne Surveys" presented by Nathan Kurtz, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The archive includes a video of the webinar, the presentation slides, and a list of webinar participants.

PolarTREC is proud to share two new videos highlighting PolarTREC alumnus John Wood and Susan Steiner. These videos showcase the teachers' PolarTREC experience and how working with scientists impacts them personally as well as their students in the classroom.

Watch John Wood Video

Watch Susan Steiner Video

Learn more about PolarTREC!

The Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) will host an open webinar entitled "Observations of Arctic Snow and Sea Ice Thickness from Satellite and Airborne Surveys." The presentation, given by Nathan Kurtz of NASA's Cryospheric Sciences Lab at Goddard, will focus on the current state and availability of snow and sea ice thickness data from NASA's Operation IceBridge airborne surveys and the European Space Agency's CryoSat-2 satellite mission. The accuracy and limitations of these operational data sets will also be discussed to place the utility of the data in context for use in a variety of study areas.

This one-hour webinar is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. AKDT (11:00 a.m. PDT, 12:00 p.m. MDT, 1:00 p.m. CDT, and 2:00 EDT) on Tuesday, 5 May 2015.

More information about the webinar is available here.

NSIDC announces availability of the MASIE-AMSR2 (MASAM2) daily 4 km sea ice concentration, which is a prototype concentration product offering greater accuracy and higher resolution in ice concentration fields used to initialize an operational sea ice forecast model. MASAM2 is a blend of two other daily sea ice data products: ice coverage from the Multisensor Analyzed Sea Ice Extent (MASIE) product, at a 4 km grid cell size, and ice concentrations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) at a 10 km grid cell size. This prototype MASAM2 product currently covers July 2012 through mid-November 2014, but it will become a daily product if there is demand for such a product.

The 2015 Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) is in full swing! Reports will be released each Friday from now until the end of the summer ice season.

SIWO is a collaboration between weather and ice forecasters, climate scientists and sea-ice researchers, and Alaska Native sea-ice experts. It focuses on the ice conditions in the northern Bering and southern Chukchi Seas, and produces weekly reports on ice and weather conditions for Alaska Native subsistence hunters, coastal communities, and anyone interested in sea ice and walrus.

ARCUS seeks nominations for the Organizing Committee of the Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting that will convene for 2.5 days during the week of 16 November 2015 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will bring together individuals and teams involved in the collection, processing, analysis, and use of observations in the Arctic. Submission deadline: Friday, 27 March 2015.

On Thursday, 5 March 2015 Cecilia Bitz provided the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with testimony about Arctic research opportunities. Her comments featured the Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) as an example of exciting new work that could deliver even more relevant information to policy makers with further investments. Her comments are recorded from 1:26 to 1:31 in the archived video.

The archive is now available for the Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) webinar on "Sea Ice Modeling: Characteristics and Processes Critical for the Radiation Budget," presented by Elizabeth Hunke, Los Alamos National Laboratory. The archive includes video of the webinar, the presentation slides, and a list of webinar participants.

Reminder: Webinar today, Tuesday, 3 March 2015, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. AKST. on "Sea Ice Modeling: Characteristics and Processes Critical for the Radiation Budget." The speaker is Elizabeth Hunke, Los Alamos National Laboratory. This webinar is designed for the sea ice research community and others interested in learning about sea ice modeling from the global climate model perspective.

The Winter 2015 issue of Witness the Arctic is now published online. We are pleased with our new graphic-friendly format for email delivery of the newsletter. This issue includes information about the SEARCH program and related activities, Arctic Research Support and Logistics program updates, news from ACADIS, information related to an Executive Order to coordinate Arctic-related activities, new communication and collaboration tools from IARPC, an overview of NOAA's 2014 Arctic Report Card, updates on upcoming international meetings (ICARP III and ASSW 2016), and a profile of ARCUS board member Mark Ivey.

The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) seeks nominations of candidates for the SEARCH Science Steering Committee (SSC) that are broad and cross-disciplinary thinkers, good communicators and consensus-builders, and have a strong commitment to the SEARCH vision. While we welcome nominations from all disciplines and research backgrounds, to complement existing strengths we are particularly interested in members with expertise in the social sciences (including economics), human dimensions, science-policy linkages, and those with expertise in partnering with stakeholders outside the academic and US federal scientific communities. Nominations are due Monday, 9 March.