Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Airborne Hydrographic Sampling of the Polar Oceans  (AHSPO)

Outline
Some of the most critical regions in the Polar Oceans can be difficult to reach and sample. For example in the Arctic Ocean, the Makarov Basin has been a sensitive indicator of change. In the 1990s the salinity of the upper ocean there jumped 2 o/oo, indicating a major shift in Arctic Ocean circulation. Likewise, the region north and west of the Canadian Archipelago has only been sampled rarely. In the Southern Ocean the distances are very great. The middle of the Weddell Sea has been the location of a large winter polynya responsible for major, conceivably climate relevant, increases in ocean heat transfer and ventilation, but this region is 2300 nautical miles from the southern tip of Africa, the southern tip of South America and McMurdo Station. Consequently, only long, slow ship cruises reach the area, and only very rarely in winter when the Weddell Sea polynya might form.We propose to pioneer a method to overcome these problems and make a hydrographic "snapshot" of critical regions of the Polar Oceans using long-range aircraft and air-expendable oceanographic probes. Air-droppable expendable CTDs (AXCTD) and current profilers (AXCP) are commercially available. Airdrop buoys and neutrally buoyant floats have been developed that sample oceanographic parameters. Our initial planning would employ the U.S. Air National Guard LC-130s employed by the U.S National Science Foundation for sampling the Arctic Ocean and some regions of the Southern Ocean. We will strive to develop international partnerships for the Arctic Ocean sampling in which, for example, Norwegian and Russian long-range aircraft might be used to sample the Eurasian Basin, while U.S. and Canadian aircraft sample the Amerasian Basin. We are presently developing a project to be carried out jointly with Chilean and Argentine partners to use their long-range aircraft to drop probes across Drake Passage and in the Weddell Sea. The hope here is not only to obtain a synoptic snapshot of these areas, but also develop the capability to rapidly sample future short-lived events , especially the opening of the Weddell Polynya. To sample other sectors of the Southern Ocean we would hope to entrain other countries with long-range aircraft and interest in the Southern Ocean (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa).Our immediate efforts involve developing the methods to airdrop the oceanographic probes through leads in sea ice and develop the network of scientists necessary to carry out the airborne oceanographic snapshot during IPY.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
AHSPO will provide an unprecedented snapshot of the hydrographic state of the Polar Oceans (Theme 1) that extends into regions and seasons that are not generally possible to reach by ship or by drifting buoys (Theme 4). This snapshot will provide a critical baseline for evaluating change in the future (Theme 2) and insight into linkages between the Polar Oceans and the rest of the globe (Theme 3). Insofar as the Polar Oceans are indicators of global change, the AHSPO and techniques it will develop will provide an important tool for understanding global climate (Theme 5).

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
So far, we are developing the connection with the Argentine , Chilean, and Russian groups and will be contacting Canadian and Norwegian contacts soon.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The essence of the program is expansive coverage, so for geographical location we would say the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 03/07 – 09/09            
Antarctic: 10/06-10/09            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Long-range aircraft (e.g., C-130 and P-3) and airbases (e.g. Alert in Canada, Thule in Greenland, Punta Arenas in Chile)

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Yes, the legacy will be a proven technique to rapidly sample large, remote areas of the Polar Seas.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Our expression of interest is in the process of being considered by the US National Committee for IPY. Our expression of interest may be considered by the non-US partners' national committees after submittal to ICSU

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

How will the project be organised and managed?
AHSPO management will require an international project office to keep the activities of the various field teams coordinated and keep data moving to a central collection point. The project office can also take the lead on instrument development of common interests. The individual aircraft campaigns will managed in detail by teams of a small numbers of investigators and their aircraft operators.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Our education and outreach plans are under consideration, but there should be opportunities for good news coverage and opportunities for involvement of the public and educational organizations through web-based dissemination of information.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Our data management scheme remains to be developed, but our general principal will be to release the data over the web and to data archives as soon as practical after collection.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
We will be seeking funding for the US-Chilean-Argentine work in the Weddell Sea through a U.S. Office of Naval Research program as well as the Office of International Science and Engineering (ISE) in the Office of the Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation and The U.S>-NSF Office of Polar Programs Antarctic Section. We will seek funding for the US portion of the Amerasian Basin part of the Arctic snapshot from the US NSF Office of Polar Programs Arctic Section.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

James Morison
Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory/ University of Washington
11013 NE 40thSt
Seattle, WA
98105
USA

Tel: 206 543 1394
Mobile: 206 310 5307
Fax: 206 6163142
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation