Objective
Sea ice represents one of the key parameters in climate modelling. Due to its high albedo and insulating behaviour sea ice modifies the heat, salt and momentum exchange between atmosphere and ocean significantly. Since sea ice is generally melted far away from the creation area, the ice drift also strongly modifies the buoyancy flux at the ocean surface. Because of its low salinity and negative latent heat the sea ice motion represents a very effective lateral heat and salt flux.
Presently, sea ice represents the weakest and least sophisticated part of coupled climate circulation models. The aim of this project is to assess and improve the performance of coupled global atmosphere-sea ice-ocean models (AOGCMs) in reproducing sea ice in the high southern latitudes. This will be achieved by deriving data sets of sea ice concentration and motion using remote sensing techniques, by performing selected runs with a sophisticated high-resolution dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model, which will be optimized with the data sets derived within this project, and by analyzing the output of coupled global AOGCM runs.
In order to understand and predict the interaction of atmosphere, sea ice and ocean in more detail, an optimization of the sea ice models currently available is necessary. An improved parameterization of the thermodynamic and dynamic processes for the Southern Ocean sea ice is only feasible with improved sea ice concentration and velocity data.
Therefore, the objectives of this proposal are
1. to develop data sets (time series) of ice drift and concentration for the SMMR and SSM/I period (Remote Sensing Part, and
2. to derive an optimized dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model for the use in coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models for climate research (Modelling Part).
Each part is divided into the three tasks described below:
Remote Sensing Part
Task 1: Establishing a surface emissivity model for an ice covered ocean under variable surface conditions.
Task 2: Derivation of an improved concentration algorithm for the Southern Ocean sea ice using all SSM/I channels, comparison with the data base of in situ observations (task 1) and sensors with higher spatial resolution (vis, IR, SAR).
Task 3: Ice motion from spaceborne passive microwave observations.
Modelling Part
Task 4: Statistical analysis of sea ice concentration and atmospheric data.
Task 5: Applicaton of a sophisticated dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model to the 1979-98 period for Antarctica with re-analyzed ECMWF and NCEP (Numerical Center for Environmental Prediction, USA) atmospheric forcing; comparison of spatial and temporal characteristics of the observed sea ice concentration and drift variability with the results of task 2 and task 3.
Task 6: Investigation of the representation of sea ice in the current generation of GCMs and comparison with the results of tasks 4 and 5.
The main results anticipated from this project are:
1. An extended data set of sea ice concentration and drift in the Southern Ocean, which will improve the detection of climate change
2. an optimized dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model for use in climate GCMs, which will improve predictions of natural and anhropogenic climate change.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering remote sensing
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
24105 Kiel
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.