Project Overview

Who?	Michael Steele, lead scientist (Univ. of WA) also: R. Andersen, W. Ermold, A. Heiberg Peter Schlosser & William Smethie (LDEO) also: D. Chayes, R. Perry, R. Williams Ron Kwok (JPL)
What?	A program to study freshwater circulation (sea ice + upper ocean) in the “freshwater switchyard” between Alert (Ellesmere Island) and the North Pole.
Where?	Sections cross both the Transpolar Drift Stream and the North American Boundary Undercurrent, which vary interannually in composition and strength.
Why?	This region is historically very poorly sampled, and it lies upstream of North Atlantic deepwater convection sites.
How?	Annual springtime hydrographic surveys: The LARGE-scale survey (Alert - North Pole by Twin Otter using THICR The SMALL-scale survey (100 km across the continental slope by helicopter … also: satellite studies of sea ice transport.
When?	Spring 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, & 2007

 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0230427.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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