ICE-ARC

ice-arc

Ice, Climate, and Economics - Arctic Research on Chang 

The ICE-ARC project aims to understand and quantify the multiple stresses involved in the change in the Arctic marine environment. Particular focus is on the rapid retreat and collapse of the Arctic sea ice cover and to assess the climatic (ice, ocean, atmosphere and ecosystem), economic and social impacts of these stresses on regional and global scales.

It is not possible to look at one aspect of this system in isolation; a coupled atmosphere/ cryosphere/ocean/ecosystem approach is needed. Our observations will focus on reducing the uncertainty in understanding of Arctic physical processes which are vital in climate and ecosystem change and which may not be adequately represented in present models. Results of the observational programme, which includes satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems for remote sensing observations, will be fed into an ice-ocean-atmosphere model which, after validation, will make projections - with reduced uncertainties - of the rate and nature of future changes in the ice cover, ocean structure and atmospheric temperature and circulation. In parallel with this an ecosystems model will perform the same role for marine living resources.

IREA contribution to ICE-ARC will be in the analysis of SAR imagery of the marginal ice zone where frazil and pancake sea ice will form in order to retrieve and map the ice thickness distribution

IREA-CNR also had a role within the User Requirements and Governance definitions.

 

Funding body: European Union

Prime contractor: NERC - Natural Environment Research Council

Period of activity: 2014 - 2017

IREA project manager: Giacomo De Carolis

Research topic: Microwave Remote Sensing