Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Sampling ocean-sea ice interaction in the Antarctic Dipole centers  (ADP moorings)

Outline
The Antarctic Dipole (ADP) presents the strongest ENSO signal outside of the tropical Pacific, with poles centered within the Ross Sea-Amundsen Sea in the Pacific sector and the central Weddell Gyre in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. The ADP is a standing mode pattern characterized by out-of-phase relationships in the surface temperature and sea ice fields. The opposing large-scale spatial patterns in ADP centers are clearly associated with both positive and negative phases of ENSO and these anomalous signals persist four seasons in the subpolar waters after triggered by the tropical forcing. Outside these sectors the anomalies are not coherent or distinct. While the signatures of the Southern Ocean's ADP in the atmosphere and sea ice has received much recent attention, little is known about the upper ocean’s role in maintaining and reinforcing the ADP climate anomalies. Clearly the upper ocean has a longer memory and much larger heat capacity for storing the anomalous climate signals than the atmosphere. We plan to examine the upper ocean’s role in high latitude climate variability in the regions where strong polar-extrapolar teleconnections exist (our proposal is currently pending in NSF/OPP). Specifically, we are motivated by the desire to better understand the local and regional processes underlying the response of the ADP to ENSO (and any other) climate forcing. We plan to deploy subsurface moorings within the two centers of the ADP in the eastern Ross Gyre and the central Weddell Gyre. The moorings consist of discrete temperate, salinity and pressure sensors, and/or moored CTD profiler with current meter, which will well resolve the upper ocean stratification between 50 to 450m over a variety of time scales from daily to interannual. In addition, an Upward Looking Sonar will be installed on the top of each mooring and will provide simultaneous measurements of the ice draft and coverage. The initial deployment of both moorings is planned in austral summer 2005-6, with redeployment in austral summer 2006-7 (2007-8) and recovery in austral summer 2008-9 (2009-10) of the Atlantic (Pacific) mooring. CTD measurements in the vicinity of the mooring sites will be conducted during each deployment, service and recovery cruise. Combined with satellite measurements of sea ice concentration, sea surface and air temperatures, and winds, the direct measurements of the stratification and sea ice coverage from the mooring data will allow us, for the first time, to unambiguously determine the dynamical processes of the coupled upper ocean-air-ice system in the Southern Ocean that link these polar regions to global climate variability.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The planned program will directly monitor the temperature, salinity and sea ice variability in polar waters where strong climate signal and strong global connection exist. The program is highly relevant to IPY theme 1, 2, 3, and 5. The multi-year, high vertical resolution mooring data will provide valuable upper ocean temperature and salinity characteristics from the mixed layer through the thermocline, and from synoptic to interannual time scales. These measurements consist of key datasets for understanding dynamic processes in the air-sea-ice system and contribute to a synoptic set of multidisciplinary observations during IPY. They will also greatly benefit to chemical/biological studies in the areas. The program will start before the IPY and end after the IPY. The success of the program will lay a foundation for long term monitoring in future.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Dr. Fahrback in Alfred_Wegener_Institut Fur Polar, Germany has expressed interests to put an additional upward-looking-sonar mooring near our mooring site in the Weddell Sea during our deployment.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Pacific mooring site: 140W, 71S (Eastern Ross Gyre) Atlantic mooring site: 38W, 64S (Central Weddell Gyre)

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: Atlantic site 01~03/06, 01~03/07, 01-02/09      Pacific site 02~03/06, 02~03/08, 02-03/10      

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
We need approximately 14 days of ship time (ice breaker) in the Atlantic mooring site for each deployment/service/recovery cruise, including sailing from Punta Arenas, CTD and mooring works. We need approximately 10 days of ship time (ice breaker) in the Pacific mooring site for each deployment/service/recovery cruise, including sailing from McMurdo (more days if sailing from New Zealand), CTD and mooring works. We are willing to share the ship time, CTD measurements with other projects.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
N/A

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

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Our expression of interest is in the process of being considered by the U.S. National Committee for IPY.

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

How will the project be organised and managed?
The program, if funded, will be managed by Office of Polar Programs in NSF through Raytheon and project PIs.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
The program contains a graduate education activity. We also intend to provide the information regarding this polar research to general public through open house activities at the PIs’ institutes. Other out-reeach activities are under consideration, including participation of the OPP “Teacher at Sea” program for the mooring deployments.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
All data will be submitted to the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) after data quality control and initial examinations. Thus the data will be made available to the broader community and other researchers.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The proposal of this program has been submitted to Office of Polar Programs in June 2004. It is currently under consideration.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Xiaojun Yuan
61 Route 9W
Palisades, New York
10964
USA

Tel: 845 365 8820
Mobile: no
Fax: 845 365 8736
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation