Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

The Arctic Summer Cloud-Ocean Study  (ASCOS)

Outline
ASCOS is a multi-month Arctic field experiment based on the Swedish icebreaker Oden, planned for the summer of 2007. The ultimate objective is to understand processes that are poorly described in current climate models, in order to reduce the large uncertainty in projections of future Arctic climate. Model simulations of Arctic clouds are particularly deficient, impeding correctly simulated radiative fluxes, vital for the snow/ice-albedo feedback. ASCOS will improve our understanding of processes that control the evolution of clouds over the Arctic pack ice area, with an integrated study from the sea-ice interface to the cloud-topped boundary layer. The necessary interdisciplinary scientific approach will include marine biochemistry, aerosol and cloud chemistry/physics, and meteorology. ASCOS will concentrate on an ice-drift operation when Oden will be moored to an ice floe, starting near the North Pole and drifting passively during the biologically most active period and into autumn freeze-up conditions, roughly July through September. Ground-based remote sensing by NOAA/ETL and ARM (Mobile Unit) will provide continuous measurements of boundary-layer and cloud structure, while in-situ instruments and vertical profiling will provide detailed process oriented information on boundary layer dynamics, atmospheric aerosol/cloud evolution and ocean/ice biochemistry. Instruments will be deployed both onboard Oden and on the ice. Detailed aerosol-cloud profiling will be conducted with the ACTOS payload, by helicopter from Oden. Complementary measurements will be performed on the UK NERC/Met-Office research aircraft (FAAM) from Svalbard. The aims of ASCOS are: To determine the atmospheric processes that control boundary layer clouds north of 80°N. To determine the evolution of cloud condensation (CCN) and ice forming nuclei (IFN). To determine the role of boundary-layer turbulence and surface properties for the exchange of heat, water, momentum and aerosols between the ocean/ice/air interface and with the troposphere. To determine the role of marine biochemical processes for CCN and IFN formation, with emphasis on the open lead surface microlayer. To test and implement reliable satellite algorithms for area-covering climate monitoring. To provide a high-Arctic mirror-station of intense atmospheric measurements that for a limited time will sample data similar to monitoring stations around the rim of the Arctic Ocean, for example at Barrow and Alert/Eureka. To contribute to the data archive over the central Arctic Ocean collected during IPY. To provide a comprehensive data set on the high Arctic climate system, for developing and testing of integrated climate models.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
While Arctic climate is changing fast, climate models used for future climate projections show large uncertainty, manifested as much larger model scatter than elsewhere. This scatter partly relates to an insufficient understanding of feedback mechanisms involving ice, aerosols, clouds and radiation. ASCOS will contribute to knowledge vital for reducing serious model deficiencies in describing interactions in the Arctic cloud-capped boundary layer. ASCOS will in addition provide data for calibration and development of algorithms for satellite monitoring. Also, for the July to September period measurements can be used for comparison with advanced monitoring stations deployed on land around the Arctic ocean.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The aims of ASCOS were established in collaboration with scientists from Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom and USA. Recent contacts have been taken with scientists from Norway and Finland. As planning continues, more international collaboration will develop. ASCOS is an acknowledged International SOLAS project and strongly linked with OASIS.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The main field activities of ASCOS will be performed during a ship-ice-drift operation, starting near the North Pole and drifting passively for months between 90-85°N. ASCOS will also involve shorter research stations traversing the Greenland and Barents seas, the Fram-Strait marginal ice zone area and the Nansen and Amudsen basins.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 07/2007 – 09/2007            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
The drift-operation will require combined icebreaker(Oden)/helicopter/kite/balloon/radio-controlled boats and various on ice activities. The UK research-aircraft FAAM will conduct a full suite of complementary observations by transecting between Spitsbergen and the position of the icebreaker. Scientists with similar or compatible interests are welcome. UK scientists are discussing piggyback projects with FAAM.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Monitoring of Arctic climate will by necessity rely heavily on climate models and space-borne remote sensing. The legacy of this project will be to contribute to model improvement and development of reliable satellite algorithms, and the education of young scientists on Arctic climate issues.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
Own national polar operator
National agency
Own support
Other sources of support

The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat will provide the icebreaker Oden for research after a peer review of research proposals to the Swedish Research Council. Ship time is, however, limited and additional national IPY resources uncertain at the present. Additional time can be purchased, by funding from other national/international sources.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
The Polar Committee of the Swedish Research Council endorsed the project outline in November 2004. ASCOS has been acknowledged by SOLAS and is strongly linked with the OASIS prioritised research topics.

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?
New

ASCOS forms a new extensive multidisciplinary initiative, aiming to study the summer Arctic lower-atmospheric upper-ocean interactions. ASCOS builds scientifically on successful research carried out in a series of previous international expeditions with Oden to the high Arctic in the years of 1991, 1996 and 2001 and in SHEBA, in 1997/98.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, will be responsible for the overall management of the consortium, in close collaboration with the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. Professors Caroline Leck and Michael Tjernström will jointly coordinate the pro-ject. Together they have the required interdisciplinary expertise and extensive previous experience of managing large multidisciplinary/institutional Arctic research programs. A science steering committee will be appointed, among the main partners in the consortium, to write the S&I plan (spring 2005), to manage all facets the project and to disseminate the scientific results. Project meetings will rotate between the main partners.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
ASCOS foresees post-doctoral and graduate education, helping new generations of scientists maintain and improve standards of Arctic research. Lead scientists are already active communicating results through media. ASCOS results will be shared within the EU-ACCENT-network. A public Web page will be maintained to disseminate information regarding the ASCOS project.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
An efficient data archive to which all partners will submit quality assured data is essential. During an initial 18 months a protected website will be established, to facilitate information exchange between program members, after which data will be made public. Long-term solutions through some other organisation will be investigated.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Some ship-time will come base-funded through the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. The FAAM aircraft will be funded with a successful NERC proposal. Additionally, each member of the consortium must secure national funding. Additional funding can be used to pur-chase additional ship-time. ASCOS is part of the DAMOCLES-proposal to the EU 6th Framework program.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
In summer, most CCN and IFN originating over land are lost through wet scavenging during the transport into the pack-ice region, north of 80 °N. Moreover the surface air (lowest few 100 meters) is often well mixed, with a temperature inversion separating air owing its properties to the surface from air influenced by more distant conditions. The ASCOS study area thus offers a climatic system remote from direct anthropogenic pollution. In the case of a multi-ship expedition we request to keep about a 24-hour voyage distance between the ships, due to the risk of contamination of atmospheric chemical sampling.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Pro Michael/Caroline Tjernström/Leck
Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University


SE-106 91 Stockholm
Sweden

Tel: +46 8 163110/+46 8 1
Mobile: +46 70 2056631/+46 7
Fax: +46 8 157185/+46 8 1
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation