Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

IceCam: Use of Vessels-Of-Opportunity for monitoring the marine cryosphere.  (IceCam)

Outline
The IPY will promote large-scale activities in the Polar regions, covering every discipline. To take full advantage of the increased human activity in the hostile polar environments, every opportunity must be taken to record the sea ice and environmental conditions. The IceCam is an integrated visual monitoring and environmental data logging system designed for deployment on any platform. The autonomous, cost-effective system can provide consistent data on the extent and state of sea ice at regular intervals. This data can be employed to improve the interpretation of satellite data and validate climate models. The IceCam system maximises the amount of data collected whilst minimising the impact on ship operations. Images of sea ice conditions are collected every 5 minutes together with data that allows for the geo-location and correction of the data. Data collected will be copied to CD and sent to the archive centres. On specific expeditions IceCam information would be transmitted via the Iridium satellite system allowing-to-date and timely provision of data to end users. The key benefit of the IceCam system is that it does not require large scale dedicated logistics to be of immense benefit in monitoring the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic. Instead the system will use existing planned IPY expeditions and normal commercial vessel operations (Vessels-Of-Opportunity - VOO) in these regions to achieve its aims. The deployment of an IceCam as part of a field campaign will allow human resources to be released from making ice observation records whilst ensuring more frequent and consistent observations are collected. It is estimated that the deployment of 50 IceCam units would result in over a million observations during the IPY. The data collected will be archived in an accessible central database from which users may extract data based on a variety of parameters including time, location and ice concentration. Scientific Objectives • Snapshot of sea ice conditions during the IPY • Comprehensive refinement of WMO sea ice classification scheme • Validation of satellite algorithms • Validation of climate models • Input to climate models Refinement of WMO sea ice classification With the increase in observations of sea ice, it is foreseen that variations in existing ice classes will be highlighted. As a result a more detailed sea ice classification scheme may be devised.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
A snapshot of sea ice conditions in the marine cryosphere during the IPY. As the system is automated the recorded images are not subject to human bias. •Validation of satellite algorithms and climate models to assist in quantifying climate change. •Incorporation into and extension of existing sea ice historical archives.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The project will be managed jointly between the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), UK and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), Norway. International collaboration will be with all participants as everyone providing data has access to all data within the database.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The marine cryosphere regions of the world where shipping activity occurs during IPY. Principally this means the Arctic Ocean and its environs, and the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. It will also include seas and water bodies which develop a seasonal ice cover, for example the Baltic, Okhotsk and Caspian Seas.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 01/07 -12/07      01/07 -12/08      01/07 -12/09
Antarctic: 01/07 - 12/07      01/07 -12/08      01/07 -12/09

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Once an IceCam unit is installed on a ship there should be little or no requirement for support. The significant advantage of the IceCam system is that it uses existing logistics at little or no cost. There will be a requirement to download data during ports of call.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Yes, the project will produce a permanent record of sea ice conditions encountered during the IPY. It will also leave a legacy of IceCam units which can continue operating beyond IPY. The continuation of the IceCam project will allow trends in sea ice conditions to be more accurately observed.

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

IceCams can be installed on any ship, and so all of the above can provide logistic support by hosting an IceCam.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
This is in progress.

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

The project will be a new autonomous proposal.

How will the project be organised and managed?
Leadership will be shared between SAMS, UK and NPI, Norway. Representatives will be invited from international polar organisations as required to provide local support. In particular, the sending of data from ships to the data archive and to promote the use of IceCam in their own geographical areas.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
IceCam data will allow images of sea ice to be brought into the classroom. Pupils will be able to learn about the variations of sea ice both structurally and geographically. The data will also be a valuable tool in teaching how to interpret satellite images of sea ice.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
A distributed database system will be set up with nodes in SAMS, UK and NPI, Norway. This could build on existing infrastructure that was set up by the EUROCLIM project. There will be a data manager to oversee development and operation of the system.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The National funding agencies of the UK and Norway will be approached for funding the initial construction of IceCam units. It is also envisaged that institutes will purchase IceCam units. The philosophy of the project is that anyone contributing data will have access to all other data.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
Discussions are on going with other institutes around the world, with positive feedback from everyone so far. We would also like to include any terrestrial-based web-cams located in the polar regions in the database, (for example the Barrow IceCam http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~eicken/he_proj/BRWICE/bcam1.htm ). Also, where possible, IceCams will be installed on aircraft to collect data. These flights will either be routine observation or logistic flights. Ongoing projects in the Arctic are described at http://npiweb.npolar.no/ for NPI and www.sams.ac.uk/research for SAMS.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Mr Richard Hall
Norwegian Polar Institute
Polarmiljøsenteret
NO-9296
Norway

Tel: +47 77750567
Mobile: no
Fax: +47 77750501
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation