Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Antarctic fast-ice monitoring to study ocean-ice-atmosphere changes  (AFIN (Antarctic Fast-Ice Network))

Outline
AFIN will coordinate routine manual observations of Antarctic fast ice with newly emerging automated environmental observatories into an international network to study the coupled ocean/fast-ice/atmosphere system and its response to global climate change. AFIN fits under the umbrella of the CASO (Climate in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean) proposal to IPY. Routine observations of the dates of ice formation and breakout, and ice/snow thicknesses are being carried out at only a few Antarctic coastal locations. Some long-term but intermittent fast-ice records provide limited information on temporal variability and change. AFIN will establish an international observation network spanning the Antarctic coast to collect standardised fast-ice measurements. Concurrent observations of fast ice and of the local atmospheric and oceanic that determine the thermal balance of the fast ice are rarely available. To address this AFIN proposes the integration of automated mass-budget stations within the fast-ice network. These will include data-logging packages such as thermistor strings deployed through the ice, sub-ice instrumentation (e.g., oceanic current meters) and above ice instruments (e.g., automatic weather stations, radiometers, snow-height laser). Proposed locations for fast-ice measuring sites include Scott Base (NZ), Dumont dUrville (FR), Mirny (RU), Davis (AU), Zhong Shan (CH), Mawson (AU), Syowa (JP), G.v.Neumeyer (GER), and Bellinghausen (RU). Where possible automated observatories will collect both fast-ice thickness data (via a combination of surface and basal acoustic sensors and thermistor strings) together with oceanic and atmospheric measurements (e.g., water and air temperature, air pressure). AFIN fast-ice sites will cover a large part of the East Antarctic coast. In-situ observations will be supplemented with remote-sensing products (AVHRR, SSMR and SAR) of the large-scale ice conditions, including fast-ice edge, lead opening, pack-ice extent and concentration. Additionally atmospheric reanalysis and other numerical model data will be used to investigate the links and differences between fast-ice regimes. A link to an IPY2007-EoI with focus on Arctic sea-ice observations, including Arctic fast-ice research, has been identified in PACSIZ (Towards an integrated biophysical sea-ice observatory in the Pacific seasonal ice zone) with Dr. H. Eicken acting as the contact. If our EoI is endorsed as a worthy IPY project, we plan to collaborate with the PACSIZ group to explore connections and concomitant changes in Arctic and Antarctic fast ice.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
A network of fast-ice and mass-balance measuring sites will be established along the Antarctica coast to determine the present state of ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions and to initiate ongoing monitoring. These observations will be used in the validation of numerical models and, together with sparse historic fast-ice data, to provide insight into the impact of observed atmospheric change on the polar sea ice.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Collaborations are established with institutions and scientists in countries who operate Antarctic coastal stations. Partnerships are in place with scientists baed in New Zealand, Germany, and Japan: these include development of automated observation platforms. Preliminary contacts have been made with the French, Japanese, Chinese, Russian and US Antarctic programmes.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
We propose to deploy fast-ice observatories nearby: * Bellinghausen Station(-58° 56 E, 70° 39 S) * Georg von Neumayer Station (08° 15 E, 70° 39 S) * Syowa Station (39° 35 E, 69° 00 S) * Mawson Station (62° 52 E, 67° 38 S) * Zhong Shan (76° 22 E, 69° 23 S) * Davis Station (77° 58 E, 68° 35 S) * Mirny Observatory (93° 01 E, 66° 33 S) * Dumont d Urville (140° 00 E, 66° 39 S) * Scott Base (166° 46 E, 77° 51 S) Further stations may be added.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: 03/07– 03/09            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
No significant new resources will be required for this project which will be undertaken at existing Antarctic coastal stations. Station personnel will be required to deploy and recover automated fast-ice station, or to conduct manual ice observations.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
AFIN will leave a legacy of a mostly automated environmental observation network, which can be maintained in the future with few resources. A uniform protocol for manual fast-ice observations will also be developed as an affordable alternative, and a baseline data set of Antarctic fast-ice regimes will be established.

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

This is a multi-location international project with in situ observations planned near a number of coastal Antarctic stations. It requires minimal additional logistical support.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Yes. This proposal has been submitted to the Australian National Committee for IPY. AFIN fits under the umbrella of the CASO (Climate in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean) proposal of WCRP and SCAR.

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

Although this project builds upon experience from an fast-ice investigation conducted at Davis and Mawson stations, we propose here a new autonomous project of an Circum-Antarctic fast-ice network that will allow us to study the impact of large-scale atmospheric and oceanic change on polar ice at various sites.

How will the project be organised and managed?
AFIN is a small programme with only a few partners and requiring limited new resources. Protocols for the manual observational techniques are already established, and automatic observatories can be developed within existing technology. Programme management will be coordinated through a nominated contact (initially Dr. P. Heil [Australian Antarctic Division] but to be rotated amongst participants) and programme partners will communicate primarily by email.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
We will create a WWW-portal including project summary, ongoing field activities, initial results as well as interactive modules. Aspects of this research will be integrated into teaching modules. Data will be available to (undergraduate and graduate) students, and also to other scientists interested, including those working in different disciplines.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Data will be acquired, managed and disseminated via a WWW log at a central location (e.g. the Australian Antarctic Data Center), and be available to all registered partners. General data availability will be through the National Snow and Ice Data Center data server.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Limited funding will be required for equipment for manual observations and this is expected to be financed through the national programmes (it already is funded in some programmes). Funding for autonomous instrumentation (e.g. thermistor string, mass-balance station) will be through research grants.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
This project aims to draw together multi-national resources (e.g., wintering teams) to allow for the development of a fast-ice observation network, including manual and automated techniques to collect crucial measurements at several Antarctic locations. The derived database will be invaluable to analyse climate processes and to assess temporal change. The project will also incorporate a modelling component, which will be crucial in interpreting the sensitivity of the ocean-ice-atmosphere system to any change.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Petra Heil
Australian Antarctic Division
Private Bag 80
Hobart, TASMANIA
7001
Australia

Tel: ++61 – 3 – 6226 7243
Mobile: N/A
Fax: ++61 – 3 – 6226 2973
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation