Arctic Sea Ice Extent May Shrink Below 2012 Record Low

Gannon, Megan

doi:10.1029/2016eo051183

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Since there are no permanent weather stations anywhere in the central Arctic Ocean, the buoys' hourly provision of air temperature and barometric pressure measurements to the GTS and the IABP database were crucial in better estimating the conditions during one of the most anomalous winters in recent history in this region. The temperature evolution in late December for example was the consequence of a powerful winter cyclone (or "freak storm, " as entitled by the Washington Post on December 30, 2015), which brought temperatures above freezing even close to the North Pole (Gannon, 2016;Moore, 2016). A similar event was recorded in February 2017, again exceeding the melting point in the region north of Svalbard (Graham et al, 2017).…”

Section: Winter Warm Spells and Their Effects On Arctic Snow Packsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Here, we present and discuss the resulting snow depth time series with respect to the observed warm air events during winter (Boisvert et al, 2016;Gannon, 2016;Moore, 2016;Graham et al, 2017), which were captured by the Snow Buoys in 2016 and again in 2017. All of the corresponding time series are characterized by several pronounced temperature maxima, partially even exhibiting temperatures above freezing, close to the area around the North Pole during winter.…”

Section: Central Arctic Ocean Air Temperature and Snow Depthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Snow Depth and Air Temperature Seasonality on Sea Ice Derived From Snow Buoy Measurements

et al. 2021

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Snow depth on sea ice is an essential state variable of the polar climate system and yet one of the least known and most difficult to characterize parameters of the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice systems. Here, we present a new type of autonomous platform to measure snow depth, air temperature, and barometric pressure on drifting Arctic and Antarctic sea ice. “Snow Buoys” are designed to withstand the harshest environmental conditions and to deliver high and consistent data quality with minimal impact on the surface. Our current dataset consists of 79 time series (47 Arctic, 32 Antarctic) since 2013, many of which cover entire seasonal cycles and with individual observation periods of up to 3 years. In addition to a detailed introduction of the platform itself, we describe the processing of the publicly available (near real time) data and discuss limitations. First scientific results reveal characteristic regional differences in the annual cycle of snow depth: in the Weddell Sea, annual net snow accumulation ranged from 0.2 to 0.9 m (mean 0.34 m) with some regions accumulating snow in all months. On Arctic sea ice, the seasonal cycle was more pronounced, showing accumulation from synoptic events mostly between August and April and maxima in autumn. Strongest ablation was observed in June and July, and consistently the entire snow cover melted during summer. Arctic air temperature measurements revealed several above-freezing temperature events in winter that likely impacted snow stratigraphy and thus preconditioned the subsequent spring snow cover. The ongoing Snow Buoy program will be the basis of many future studies and is expected to significantly advance our understanding of snow on sea ice, also providing invaluable in situ validation data for numerical simulations and remote sensing techniques.

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Section: Winter Warm Spells and Their Effects On Arctic Snow Packsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Central Arctic Ocean Air Temperature and Snow Depthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snow Depth and Air Temperature Seasonality on Sea Ice Derived From Snow Buoy Measurements

et al. 2021

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“…Right: September Arctic sea ice extent, SIE, 10 6 km 2 (US National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, CO, USA website, http://nsidc.org/data; date of retrieval; 30 December 2015). For possible change in 2016, see Gannon (2016). Linear trend estimates shown by dash lines are provided for demonstration purposes only Relatively small deviations of the oceanic salinity and sea ice distribution in the northernmost Atlantic may affect the deep water formation process with adverse global consequences for oceanic circulation (Gulfstream) and climate of the extratropics (LeGrande et al 2006).…”

Section: Research Focus 1: Global Change and The Arcticmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI): facing the challenges and pathways of global change in the twenty-first century

Groisman

Shugart

Kicklighter

et al. 2017

Prog Earth Planet Sci

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During the past several decades, the Earth system has changed significantly, especially across Northern Eurasia. Changes in the socioeconomic conditions of the larger countries in the region have also resulted in a variety of regional environmental changes that can have global consequences. The Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI) has been designed as an essential continuation of the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI), which was launched in 2004. NEESPI sought to elucidate all aspects of ongoing environmental change, to inform societies and, thus, to better prepare societies for future developments. A key principle of NEFI is that these developments must now be secured through science-based strategies codesigned with regional decision-makers to lead their societies to prosperity in the face of environmental and institutional challenges. NEESPI scientific research, data, and models have created a solid knowledge base to support the NEFI program. This paper presents the NEFI research vision consensus based on that knowledge. It provides the reader with samples of recent accomplishments in regional studies and formulates new NEFI science questions. To address these questions, nine research foci are identified and their selections are briefly justified. These foci include warming of the Arctic; changing frequency, pattern, and intensity of extreme and inclement environmental conditions; retreat of the cryosphere; changes in terrestrial water cycles; changes in the biosphere; pressures on land use; changes in infrastructure; societal actions in response to environmental change; and quantification of Northern Eurasia's role in the global Earth system. Powerful feedbacks between the Earth and human systems in Northern Eurasia (e.g., mega-fires, droughts, depletion of the cryosphere essential for water supply, retreat of sea ice) result from past and current human activities (e.g., large-scale water withdrawals, land use, and governance change) and potentially restrict or provide new opportunities for future human activities. Therefore, we propose that integrated assessment models are needed as the final stage of global change assessment. The overarching goal of this NEFI modeling effort will enable evaluation

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Arctic Sea Ice Extent May Shrink Below 2012 Record Low

Abstract: Satellite data, field measurements, and readings from "snow buoys" reveal ice thickness patterns similar to those preceding the lowest recorded sea ice extent, which was reached nearly 4 years ago.

Cited by 2 publications

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Snow Depth and Air Temperature Seasonality on Sea Ice Derived From Snow Buoy Measurements

Snow Depth and Air Temperature Seasonality on Sea Ice Derived From Snow Buoy Measurements

Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI): facing the challenges and pathways of global change in the twenty-first century

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