26 March 2024 | 10:00 - 10:30 (UK)
Open Session - HYBRID
Venue: Dynamic Earth
IASC Award for Service Lecture
Chair: Henry Burgess (President, International Arctic Science Committee)
IASC Award for Service Recipients:
- Prof. Dr. Markus Rex (Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven and Potsdam and University of Potsdam, Germany)
- Dr. Matthew Shupe (University of Colorado and Physical Sciences Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, USA)
- Prof. Dr. Klaus Dethloff (Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven and Potsdam and University of Potsdam, Germany)
The MOSAiC transpolar drift in the Arctic climate puzzle
The Arctic climate system is changing rapidly, but quantification of the atmospheric and oceanic drivers of "Arctic amplification" is insufficient, because weather and climate models do not appropriately describe important subgrid- and mesoscale processes and their interactions in the coupled Arctic climate system. Observations during the 2019-2020 Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition provided unique data for understanding the processes within the coupled atmosphere, sea ice and ocean system of the central Arctic. The idea for an international Arctic sea ice station was born during the IASC workshop of January 2011 in Potsdam and based on past experiences like the North Pole Drift Station NP35, the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean expedition and others. A team of scientists led by the Alfred Wegener Institute - Potsdam and the University of Colorado – Boulder, with participation of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute - St. Petersburg and other leading polar research institutions, developed the plans for a year-long, international drifting ice station under the umbrella of IASC into an international lighthouse project.
In October 2019, the research icebreaker „Polarstern“ moored to an ice floe in the Laptev Sea to begin a one-year transpolardrift towards the Fram Strait. Observations from onboard the „Polarstern“, in an adjacent ice camp, and across a distributed network of autonomous systems extending more than a 40 km circle were combined to study the physical, chemical, and biological processes that link the central Arctic atmosphere, sea-ice, ocean and ecosystem. From September 2019 to October 2020, the exchange of expedition personel and supplies was supported by Russian research vessels. This unique mission was successfully executed despite substantial logistical constraints and the global coronavirus pandemic due to significant effort and funding by the German Research Foundation, the German Ministry of Science and Education, and contributions from 20 participating nations.
To date, more than 125 scientific papers have been published as a result of the MOSAiC expedition on a wide range of research topics. Broadly, the collected data are being used to quantify and represent relevant processes within the atmosphere-ice-ocean system through synthesis between the observational and modeling communities. These scientific achievements provide the foundation to improve weather, sea-ice prediction, ecosystem, and climate models in the Arctic, all of which require a more detailed depiction and understanding of relevant processes. The MOSAiC data set is a unique legacy for the international Arctic science community, and its value will increase with time.