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March 2004 - May 2004

PI: Andrey PROSHUTINSKY, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA

Co-Principal Investigators:
Ruediger GERDES, AWI, Germany
Sirpa HAKKINEN, GSFC/NASA, USA
David HOLLAND, NYU, USA
Greg HOLLOWAY, IOS, Canada
Mark JOHNSON, IMS/UAF, USA
Michael KARCHER, AWI, Germany
Wieslaw MASLOWSKI, NPS, USA
Michael STEELE, PSC/UW, USA
Jia WANG, IARC/UAF, USA

Co-Investigators:
Helge DRANGE, NERSC, Norway
William HIBLER, IARC, USA
Marika HOLLAND, NCAR, USA
Elizabeth HUNKE, LANL, USA
Hugues GOOSSE, LLN, Belgium
Elena GOLOUBEVA, ICMMG, Russia
Cornelia KOEBERLE, AWI, Germany
Alexander MAKSHTAS, IARC/UAF, USA
Mathew MALTRUD, LANL, USA
Miguel MAQUEDA, NYU, USA
Gennady PLATOV, ICMMG, Russia
Albert SEMTNER, NPS, USA
Petteri UOTILA, NYU, USA
Nikolai YAKOVLEV, RAS, Russia
Jinlun ZHANG, PSC/UW, USA

The main AOMIP objectives for 2004 are:

  • to complete a coordinated set of model runs for 1948-2004 under standard forcing
  • identify and analyze differences among models, and
  • determine the best model runs for specific purposes related to the investigation of the major AOMIP scientific themes covering the variability of the Arctic Ocean climate, namely: circulation of Atlantic waters; freshwater accumulation and release mechanisms; sea ice thickness, and sea-ice volume variability.

Coordinated Analysis Experiment:

During March-May, 2004, the AOMIP team is carrying out a coordinated analysis experiment in order to simulate Arctic sea ice and ocean conditions over the period 1948-2004.

Eleven (mostly regional) coupled ice-ocean models are used in this experiment, namely:

AWI: Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany
(two models with, one high- and one low-spatial resolution);
GSFC: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA;
IARC: International Arctic Research Center, USA;
ICMMG: Russian Academy of Science, Novosibirsk; and
IOS: Institute of Ocean Science, Canada;
LANL: Los Alamos Laboratory, USA
(high-resolution global model);
LLN: Louvain La Neuve, Belgium
(global model);
NPS: Naval Postgraduate School, USA;
NYU: New York University, USA
(two models, one isopycnal, and one z-coordinate);
RAS: Russian Academy of Science, Moscow;
UW: University of Washington.

All models use identical initial conditions, basic parameters, and forcing fields. Partial model results (because not all models have completed experiment by this date) are collected at the New York University AOMIP-LAS (Live Access Server), i.e. data archive. This cyber infrastructure allows for efficient model-data exchange among AOMIP participants. As well, the AOMIP common-forcing data sets, archived at the AOMIP web site, are available through the AOMIP-LAS. Monthly mean data have been stored and include:

  • T and S at all model levels;
  • U, V for water (at all model levels);
  • U, V for ice;
  • ice thickness;
  • ice concentration;
  • stream function;
  • sea surface height;
  • ocean surface salt and heat fluxes;
  • vertically integrated FW content (relative to 34.8);
  • vertically integrated heat (relative 0ºC potential temperature).

Results of the AOMIP investigations based on individual process studies and covering the AOMIP scientific themes are reflected in AOMIP papers published or accepted in late 2003 or in 2004 and are listed below.

A considerable amount of AOMIP time was dedicated to the organization of the 7th AOMIP workshop. That workshop will take place during June 14-15, 2004, at GFDL and is timed to precede the CLIVAR Workshop: Evaluating the Ocean Component of IPCC-Class Models (June 16-18).

Day 1 of the workshop will involve a comprehensive discussion of results from the Coordinated Analysis 1948-2004.

Day 2 will be dedicated to a discussion of various topics:

  • model calibration and validation approach;
  • model improvement plan;
  • collaboration and coordination of our activity with other MIPs;
  • some internal problems including:
  • project coordination,
  • funding opportunities,
  • research themes,
  • publications.

Scientists from other MIPs will attend our workshop in order to exchange international experience in model improvements and intercomparison studies. We expect fruitful discussions which will significantly enhance our project.

Publications:

Published in 2004

Dukhovskoy, D. S., M. A. Johnson, and A. Proshutinsky (2004), Arctic decadal variability: An auto-oscillatory system of heat and fresh water exchange, Geophys. Res. Lett.,31, L03302, doi:10.1029/2003GL019023.

Gerdes, R., Hurka, J., Karcher, M., Kauker, F., Koeberle, C.(2004). Simulated history of convection in the Greenland and Labrador seas 1948-2001, AGU monograph Climate Variability of the Nordic Seas, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway, accepted..

Goosse H., R. Gerdes, F. Kauker and C. Koeberle, 2004: Influence of the exchanges between the Atlantic and the Arctic on sea-ice volume variations during the period 1948-1997. Journal of Climate, 17 (3) 1294-1305.

Hakkinen, S., A. Proshutinsky (2004), Freshwater content variability in the Arctic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 109, C03051, doi:10.1029/2003JC0011940.

Hu, Z.-Z., S. Kuzimina, L. Bengtsson, and D.M. Holland, 2004: Mean and uncertainty of Arctic sea-ice change and their connection with Arctic climate change in CMIP2 simulations. (Accepted J. Geophys. Res. - Atmosphere).

Karcher, M. J., Harms, I. H.(2004). Arctic Ocean Shelf-Basin Interaction, Proceedings of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) workshop on Arctic Climate Feedback Mechanisms, 17 -19 November, Tromsø, Reports of the Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway, in press..

Karcher, M. J., Gerland, S., Harms, I., Iosjpe, M., Heldal, H., Kershaw, P. J., Sickel, M.(2004). The dispersion of technetium-99 in the Nordic Seas and the Arctic Ocean: a comparison of model results and observations, Journal of environmental radioactivity, in press.

Maslowski, W., D. Marble, W. Walczowski, U. Schauer, J. L. Clement, and A. J. Semtner (2004), On climatological mass, heat, and salt transports through the Barents Sea and Fram Strait from a pan-Arctic coupled ice-ocean model simulation, J. Geophys. Res., 109, C03032, doi:10.1029/2001JC001039.

Proshutinsky, A., I. M. Ashik, E. N. Dvorkin, S. Häkkinen, R. A. Krishfield, and W. R. Peltier (2004), Secular sea level change in the Russian sector of the Arctic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 109, C03042, doi:10.1029/2003JC002007.

Steiner, N., Holloway, G., Gerdes, R., Hakkinen, S., Holland, D., Karcher, M. J., Kauker, F., Maslowski, W., Proshutinsky, A., Steele, M., Zhang, J.(2004). Comparing modeled streamfunction, heat and freshwater content in the Arctic Ocean, Ocean Modelling 6, 265-284.

Yakovlev, N. G., Coupled model of ocean general circulation and sea ice evolution in the Arctic Ocean, Izvestiya, Atmopsheric and Oceanic Physics, vol. 39, No 3, 2003, pp. 355-368.

Wang, J., Q. Liu, M. Jin, M. Ikeda and F. Saucier, 2004. A coupled ice-ocean model in the pan Arctic and the northern North Atlantic Ocean: Simulation of seasonal cycles (J. Oceanogr., conditionally accepted).

Wang, J., M. Ikeda, S. Zhang and G. Gerdes, 2004. Linking the northern hemisphere sea ice reduction trend and the quasi-decadal Arctic sea ice oscillation (Climate Dyn., accepted).

Zhang, J., M. Steele, D.A. Rothrock, and R.W. Lindsay, Increasing exchanges at Greenland-Scotland Ridge and their links with the North Atlantic Oscillation and Arctic sea ice, GRL, in press, 2004.

Published in October-December 2003 and not previously reported to IARC:

Proshutinsky, A., (2003), Circulation of water and ice. In: Arctic Environment variability in the context of Global change, Eds. L. P. Bobylev, K. Ya. Kondratyev and O.M. Johannessen, Springer, Praxis Publishing, Chichester, UK, p. 172-180.

Proshutinsky, A., (2003), Modeling of ocean and sea ice circulation. In: Arctic Environment variability in the context of Global change, Eds. L. P. Bobylev, K. Ya. Kondratyev and O.M. Johannessen, Springer, Praxis Publishing, Chichester, UK, p. 181-202.

Lindsay R.W., A. P. Makshtas, (2003), Air-sea interaction in the presence of the Arctic pack ice. In: Arctic Environment variability in the context of Global change, eds. L.P. Bobylev, K. Ya. Kondratyev and O.M. Johannessen, Springer, Praxis Publishing, Chichester, UK, p. 203-236.