Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Coupling Mechanisms between changing ice, weather, climate and carbon in the Arctic  (ARCTIC - IWeCC)

Outline
The observed retreat and thinning of the sea ice around Greenland and in the Arctic Ocean are likely to be important for a number of interconnected climate issues. The reduced ice cover will influence the atmosphere around Greenland due to the changing surface fluxes. It will also lead to changes in the exchange of carbon dioxide between atmosphere and sea thereby affecting the marine ecosystems. We propose a multidisciplinary study of this complex coupled system of ice, atmosphere, ocean and ecosystems in and around Greenland. The project should be viewed in the context of the full IPY programme. We expect our project to gain from the international presence in the Arctic during the IPY. The development of the sea ice cover will be closely monitored using the best available satellite measurements and compared to climate model simulations of the evolution of sea ice. Ice sheets and glaciers contribute to the freshwater input to the North Atlantic. Increased summer temperatures in the Arctic will lead to higher freshwater contributions. According to several studies this can have adverse effects on the deep water formation in the area. This in turn may affect the climate of North Atlantic region. We will therefore study the ice mass balance in the North East Greenland area, and its sensitivity to climate variability and model the influence of the associated fresh water flux on deep water formation in the ocean. Recent research has provided evidence for decadal oscillations in the East Greenland Current, which controls the export of ice and Polar Water from the Arctic into the North Atlantic. We propose studying sediment core records from the Arctic Ocean and gateway areas as a contribution to our understanding of multi-decadal sea ice and climate variability. Specific processes at local and regional scales are probably contributing to the generally higher temperatures at high latitudes observed in the last decades. The warmer climate results in melting of permafrost and in thinning and shrinking of the Arctic sea ice cover. The changing surface flux in turn influence the atmosphere and ocean flows patterns, means as well as extreme storm events. Large-scale meteorological flow dynamics are also playing an important part in the processes, indicated by the situation with changing NAO index. It is proposed to focus on the meteorological processes involved in the forming of the observed pattern with scales ranging from meso to large scales. The changing ice conditions will cause several changes in the terrestrial carbon budget, with different effects for different soil and vegetation types. Melting of the ice will also change the water balance and thus the increase the discharge and the associate soil erosion in total leading to lateral transport of dissolved carbon. The retreat of glaciers will free more terrestrial ecosystems to enter into the carbon cycling (methane and CO2). It is proposed to evaluate and improve the current carbon budget and from there extrapolate to future conditions

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
We believe we can make significant advances in the understanding of the complex coupled system of ice, atmosphere, ocean and biosphere around Greenland through improved observations of selected situations. Further we anticipate new insight on the importance of the Arctic for weather and climate developments at mid-latitudes.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The project will be coordinated with the THORPEX lead cluster 4 IPY initiative “Weather and Climate”. Basically, all our proposed activities have strong international connections. We therefore envisage a strong cooperative element in our project.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Greenland and the North Atlantic Region

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: Summer 2007, winter 2007/08 summer 2008            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
We need access to ships of opportunity, existing field stations and observational platforms in the Arctic, e.g. Zackenberg, and Canadian stations. In 2007 we may be able to take advantage of the Danish Galathea 3 expedition which is believed to begin its world wide research trip in Greenland.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
National agency
Own support

The Danish Polar Center is expected to take a leading part in the coordination and management of Danish projects in the polar region. The new Danish reserch council for Space and Nature, FNU, is the main agency for support of IPY projects in Denmark.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
The present project proposal is submitted on behalf of the Danish National Committee for WCRP.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Yes

The Project proposal is a new autonomous proposal.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The Danish National Committee for WCRP (presently 11 members covering various areas of climate research) will act as Steering Group for the project.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
We intend to integrate the project into the curriculum of the involved Danish Universities. This can be done through student projects, course work and possibly also as thesis work at both master and PhD levels. Concerning public outreach we intend to coordinate the project with the Danish Galathea 3 expedition where both TV and newspapers will cover the activities at a regular basis. Galathea 3 is a ship expedition intended to cover all high seas during 2007/08, also the cold regions. In general as a group of senior scientists we have a very extensive network covering both Danish an dinternational media. A web-site will be constructed to enhance the outreach part.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Data will be distributed to the IPY community via a web-based internet connection.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Through National funding

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
We have identified and contacted the THORPEX_IPY lead group (cluster 4 on the initial list of clusters announced recently) as the most appropiate group of proposals that we can engage with. As suggested by Dr. Shapiro we will contact Dr. Michel Beland, Canada, for further discussions.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Aksel Walloe Hansen
Danish National Committee for WCRP, chairman
c/o Dept. of Geophysics, University of Copenhagen
Juliane Maries Vej 30
2100 Copenhagen OE
Denmark

Tel: +45 35 32 05 67
Mobile: no
Fax: +45 35 36 53 57
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation