AON: Sustained observation and study of the rapidly evolving Arctic Ocean environment

气候模型预测，北极将在未来几十年经历地球上最大程度的变暖。似乎与这些模拟结果一致的是，自世纪之交以来，北极海冰面积和总体积显著减少。夏季暴露在大气中的海面的扩大区域正在变暖，洋流正在将这些热量带到冰盖区域下方，促使更多的冰从下面融化。对快速演变的北冰洋的持续观测对于记录正在进行的变化和探索负责的机制至关重要，这些研究最终将导致提高预测北极未来状况的能力。这项奖励将支持每年部署自主的消耗性仪器系统(称为冰系留剖面仪，ITP)，该系统在浮标随其支持的海冰漂移时实时采样和报告上层海洋的海水温度和盐度，延续了2004年开始的一项观测记录。这些数据已被证明是科学研究、学生项目和业务预测的宝贵资源；到目前为止，已发表约275篇研究论文，并撰写了许多利用ITP数据撰写的学生学位论文。在这项为期5年的授权期内，将在北极机会巡航期间建造、测试和部署总共18个国际热带气旋试验系统，由此产生的数据将公之于众，并保存在国家数据档案中。在这些和其他极地观测的基础上改进预报技能，将使有弹性的沿海基础设施、渔业和资源开采、导航、搜救活动和防御系统能够更有效地规划。冰绳剖面仪计划始于2004年，每年在北极深处部署仪器系统，当浮标与其支持的浮冰一起漂移时，这些系统将以低于米的垂直分辨率返回海水温度和盐度以及其他水性质的全年垂直分布。ITP的一个新变种，系留海洋剖面仪TOP，专注于从大约200米深到冰海界面15厘米以内的水域。目前的奖项将继续并改进ITP/TOP观测计划5年。计划开展的一项三管齐下的努力包括：(1)每年部署北极机会邮轮的业务国际交易日方案和国际顶方案，并传播由此产生的数据；(2)持续开展工程工作，以跟上国际交易日方案/最高技术方案组成部分不断变化的供应链；(3)对结果数据进行质量控制和科学分析，并在同行评议的期刊上发表结果。来自这些自主仪器的数据将通过项目网站、全球电信系统(GTS)网络、北极数据中心和国家环境信息中心公开发布。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Climate models predict that the Arctic will experience the greatest amount of warming on the planet in the coming decades. Seemingly consistent with those modeling results, Arctic sea ice extent and total volume have decreased markedly since the turn of the century. The expanded areas of the sea surface exposed to the atmosphere in summer are warming and ocean currents are carrying that heat below the ice-covered regions to drive additional ice melting from below. Sustained observations of the rapidly-evolving Arctic Ocean are vital for documenting ongoing changes and exploring the responsible mechanisms, research that will ultimately lead to improved ability to forecast the future state of the Arctic. This award will support annual deployments of autonomous, expendable instrument systems (called Ice-Tethered Profilers, ITP) that sample and report in real time the sea water temperature and salinity of the upper ocean as the buoys drift with their supporting sea ice floes, continuing an observational record initiated in 2004. These data have proven to be a valuable resource for scientific research, student projects, and operational forecasting; to date, approximately 275 research papers have been published and numerous student dissertations written that have utilized ITP data. Over the duration of this 5-year award, a total of 18 ITP systems will be constructed, tested and deployed in the Arctic on cruises of opportunity with the resulting data being made publicly available and preserved in national data archives. Improved forecast skill based on these and other polar observations will allow more efficient planning for resilient coastal infrastructure, fishery and resource extraction, navigation, search and rescue activities and defense systems. Begun in 2004, the Ice-Tethered Profiler program has annually fielded instrument systems distributed throughout the deep Arctic that return year-round daily vertical profiles of sea water temperature and salinity, and other water properties at sub-meter vertical resolution over depths of ~5 m to ~750 m as the buoys drift with their supporting ice floes. A new variant of the ITP, the Tethered Ocean Profiler, TOP, focuses on waters from ~200 m depth up to within 15 cm of the ice-ocean interface. The present award will continue and improve the ITP/TOP observing program for another 5 years. A three-pronged effort is planned to consist of (1) annual deployments of operational ITPs and TOPs from Arctic cruises of opportunity and dissemination of the resulting data, (2) ongoing engineering efforts to keep abreast of the evolving supply chain for ITP/TOP components, and (3) quality control and scientific analysis of the resulting data with results published in peer-reviewed journals. Data from these autonomous instruments will be publicly distributed via the project website, the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) network, the Arctic Data Center, and the National Centers for Environmental Information.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.