Dynamic and thermodynamic processes of snow covered sea ice

北极冰盖正在迅速从常年海冰覆盖转变为季节性海冰覆盖。 自最早的卫星记录以来，北极海冰的夏季最小范围已经下降了50%，2012年9月达到创纪录的最小值。 这些变化对整个北极海洋-海冰-大气（OSA）界面以及通过遥相关对地球低纬度地区产生重大影响。 海冰面积、厚度和环流的变化对北极海洋环境的物理、生物和生态地球化学方面的大多数组成部分的影响各不相同，而且很大。 还有许多与气候有关的问题影响到当地人对冰碛的利用和目前正在北极开发新的可利用资源的海洋工业的安全运作。 我的长期目标是了解大气和海洋如何影响海冰的动力学和热力学过程;根据这些知识预测海冰的未来变化;并研究这种变化对OSA界面上生物化学循环各个方面的影响。 为了实现这一目标，我打算在一系列的空间和时间尺度上研究这些相互作用的系统，利用原位实验，模型开发和假设形成，测试和重新制定的周期。在这个NSERC赠款的过程中，我打算研究四个短期目标：*1）宏观尺度-研究海冰动力学和热力学过程的区域到半球尺度海洋和大气强迫的作用。*2）微观尺度-调查OSA界面上微观到局部尺度的质量和能量交换过程，特别强调高频大气和海洋事件。3)技术-开发技术，利用微波散射和辐射观测、电热物理、前向和反向散射模型，估计雪/海冰系统的地球物理和热力学状态。4)生态系统-结合目标1和目标2（上文）的知识，利用目标3中开发的技术，审查海冰作为一个不同营养水平生境的性质。我将使用现场实验，围隔研究，建模实验和电磁（EM）相互作用的研究相结合，解决这个建议的目标。* 我计划进行年度海冰实地项目，这些项目是基于陆地的，位于移动的多年海冰和陆地固定的第一年海冰上，并从我们的研究破冰船（NGCC Amundsen）进行。 我们的实地工作队具有多学科性质，因此可以采取真正的“系统办法”来了解北极冰盖的变化情况，并与生物学家、地球化学家和海洋学家合作，了解观测到的海冰变化对海洋生态系统各种要素的影响。

The Arctic icescape is transforming rapidly from one dominated by a perennial to a seasonal sea ice cover.  The summer minimum extent of Arctic sea ice has declined by 50% since the earliest satellite records, with a record minimum in September 2012.  These changes have significant implications throughout the Arctic ocean-sea ice-atmosphere (OSA) interface, and through teleconnections to lower latitudes of our planet.  The impacts of changes in the areal extent, thickness and circulation of sea ice are varied and significant throughout most components of the physical, biological, and biogeochemical aspects of the Arctic marine environment.  There are also many climate related issues affecting indigenous use of the icescape and safe operation of maritime industries now jockeying to develop newly accessible resources in the Arctic.  My long-term objectives are to understand how the atmosphere and ocean affect sea ice dynamic and thermodynamic processes; to predict future changes in sea ice based on this knowledge; and to examine the consequences of this change on various aspects of biogeochemical cycles operating across the OSA interface.  To accomplish this I intend to examine these interacting systems at a range of space and time scales, taking advantage of in situ experimentation, model development and a cycle of hypothesis formation, testing and reformulation. Over the course of this NSERC grant I intend to examine four short-term objectives:***1) Macro-scale - Examine the role of regional to hemispheric scale oceanic and atmospheric forcing of sea ice dynamic and thermodynamic processes. ***2) Micro-scale - Investigate the exchange processes at the micro- to local-scale of mass and energy across the OSA interface with a particular emphasis on high frequency atmospheric and oceanic events.***3) Technology - Develop techniques to estimate the geophysical and thermodynamic state of the snow/sea ice system using microwave scattering and emission observations, electro-thermophysical, forward and inverse scattering models.***4) Ecosystem - Examine the nature of sea ice as a habitat over a range of trophic levels combining knowledge from objectives 1 and 2 (above) using technology developed in objective 3.***I will address the objectives of this proposal using a combination of field experiments, mesocosm research, modelling experiments, and electromagnetic (EM) interaction studies. ***I plan to conduct annual sea ice field programs that are land-based, located on both mobile multiyear and landfast first-year sea ice, and from our research icebreaker (NGCC Amundsen).   The multidisciplinary nature of our field teams allows for a true `systems approach' to understanding how the Arctic ice cover is changing and to work with biologists, geochemists and oceanographers to understand the impacts of observed changes in sea ice on various elements of the marine ecosystem.