AON: Observing the Evolving Central Arctic Ocean with Ice-Tethered Profilers

该奖项支持使用冰绳剖面仪(ITP)仪器在所有季节对北冰洋上层水域进行采样。过去十年进行的研究表明，北极既是气候变化的敏感指标，也是气候变化的积极驱动因素。自2007年8月以来记录的夏季海冰面积估计数惊人地低，以及液态淡水含量的巨大异常(表现为上层海洋的盐度)证明，北极现在似乎正在发生重大变化。至关重要的是，我们必须在这个快速演变的时期继续观测北极，以量化正在发生的物理变化，更好地了解其原因，并评估其对北冰洋气候系统的影响。我们将每年在北冰洋建造和部署6个ITP仪器系统，通过我们的项目网站、GTS和ARGO FLOAT计划数据组装中心，免费、立即地获取、处理和提供来自这些仪器的数据，供所有感兴趣的各方使用，以支持科学和业务活动。传感器设计的改进和增加的变量将在部署期间进行测试，以延长平台寿命并扩大ITP上的测量套件。与使用WHOI ITP和其他类似工具的欧洲和日本调查人员的持续伙伴关系有望继续对北极进行广泛的空间覆盖。我们将继续利用ITP计划支持为专业和普通受众设计的外展活动，包括向教师、科学记者、政策制定者和运营团体进行简报，为博物馆演示做出贡献，进行学校访问，并继续发展我们的项目网站http://www.whoi.edu/itp。

This awards sustains sampling of the upper Arctic Ocean water properties through all seasons using Ice-Tethered Profiler (ITP) instruments. Studies conducted over the last decade indicate that the Arctic is both a sensitive indicator of climate change and an active driver of climate variability. As evidenced by the strikingly low summer sea ice extent estimates recorded since August 2007 and large anomalies in liquid fresh water content (manifested by upper-ocean salinity), significant changes in the Arctic appear to be underway now. It is critical that we continue to observe the Arctic during this time of rapid evolution to quantify the physical changes that are occurring, to better understand their causes, and to assess their impacts on the Arctic Ocean climate system. We will construct and deploy 6 ITP instrument systems annually throughout the Arctic Ocean to acquire, process and make the data from these instruments freely and immediately available to all interested parties to support science and operational activities via our project web site, the GTS and the Argo float program data assembly centers. Improvements to sensor design and added variables will be tested during deployments to increase the platform lifetime and expand the measurement suite on board the ITP. On-going partnerships with European and Japanese investigators employing the WHOI ITP and other similar instruments holds promise for continued broad spatial coverage of the Arctic. We will continue to use the ITP program to support outreach activities designed for both specialized and general audiences including giving briefings to teachers, science journalists, policy makers and operational groups, contributing to museum presentations, making school visits and continuing to evolve our project web site http://www.whoi.edu/itp .