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PolarPredictNews
Newsletter #14
Apr. 2020
Six months into the MOSAiC drift campaign, RV
Polarstern and its crew and scientists have explo-
Ph
ot
o:
red uncharted territory by acquiring a comprehen-
St
ef
an
sive climate data set during a whole winter season
H
en
dr
ick
in the central Arctic. Next up is to capture how
s/A
lfr
the Arctic transforms around the onset of the melt
de
W
eg
season and into the summer. But the progression
en
er
In
towards Fram Strait, the gate to the Nordic Seas
sti
tu
te
and the North Atlantic, has been rapid - more rapid
than expected. Together with the extraordinary lo-
gistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pande-
mic, this renders the fate of MOSAiC during spring
and summer uncertain. In this issue’s lead article
(p.5), scientists shed light on how the drift of the
ship is continuously being forecast, and how accu-
rate the forecasts have turned out to be until now.
1
13 Polar Prediction Project Steering Group
Meeting #11
by Jeff Wilson and Kirstin Werner Dear Colleagues,
Editorial
page 24
Since the last issue of PolarPredictNews has been
14
The YOPP Science Workshop 2020 published, the world has changed due to the
Content – Polar Prediction in the Making
by Kirstin Werner, Sara Pasqualetto and
COVID-19 pandemic. Like many other activities,
the pandemic will have an influence on PPP and
Jeff Wilson YOPP. However, when it comes to the planning for
01 A Stone’s Throw Away from the
North Pole
page 26 the YOPP Consolidation Phase, we are fortunate
that the PPP Steering Group managed to have its
annual meeting in Bremerhaven just a couple of
15
by Helge Goessling, Axel Schweiger,
APPLICATE and PPP at the AAAS weeks before international travel was impacted.
Thomas Krumpen and the SIDFEx Team
Annual Meeting A summary of this meeting and the associated
07
page 5
New Episodes of the IcePod by Sara Pasqualetto
science workshop can be found in this issue.
by Kirstin Werner and Sara Pasqualetto page 28
page 16 Work in PPP and YOPP has also continued in sup-
port of the MOSAiC expedition. In this issue, for
02 The MOSAiC Near Real-Time
Verification Project
16 From Pole to Pole – The All-Atlantic
Ocean Research Forum
by Sara Pasqualetto
example, Helge Goessling and colleagues report
on the first outcomes from SIDFEx which provides
novel insights into the predictability of sea-ice drift
08
by Amy Solomon page 29
Last Survivor of the Adopt-a-Buoy Project in the Arctic. Furthermore, the first YOPP Targe-
page 9
17
Original article from Meereisportal.de, modified ted Observing Period (TOP) took place, providing
New Publications additional radiosondes during two intrusions of
by Aaron-Christoph Frehlich and Kirstin Werner
de Silva et al. (2020) warm and moist air masses from mid-latitudes
page 17
03
Hutter and Losch (2020) that reached the MOSAiC camp in mid-April. I
Start of Arctic YOPP Targeted
Krumpen et al. (open for discussion) am sure that these events will keep the scientific
Observing Periods
page 30 community busy for years to come. Furthermore,
by Kirstin Werner, Gunilla Svensson and
18
I would like to draw your attention to the dra-
09
Thomas Jung YOPP-endorsed! - Nansen Legacy
Fall Open Online Course by wings by Thomas Rackow and Friederike Krüger.
page 10 Project
APPLICATE, APECS and YOPP Spread throughout this issue, they nicely illustrate
Interview with Marit Reigstad, Nansen Legacy
by Andrea Schneider and Gerlis Fugmann Project PI
the instruments that have been deployed around
page 18 by Kirstin Werner
RV Polarstern during the first leg of the MOSAiC
page 32
expedition.
04 Options for Publishing YOPP Datasets
by Siri Jodha Khalsa
19 Upcoming online events
I would also take the opportunity to thank Mikhail
Tolstykh and Matthieu Chevallier for their outstan-
10
page 12 page 34
Version 3.0 of YOPP Implementation ding contributions to PPP and YOPP. Both recently
Plan stepped down as PPP Steering Group members.
by Jeff Wilson, Kirstin Werner and Thomas Jung
The Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) is a At the same time, it is my pleasure to welcome the
page 19
major international activity that has been new members Qizhen Sun, Clare Eayrs and Eric
initiated by the World Meteorological Orga-
05
Bazile.
New Sea Ice and Ocean Variables in nization as a key component of the Polar
S2S Forecast Database Prediction Project (PPP). The overarching Finally, I would like to thank the ICO for develo-
by Lorenzo Zampieri goal of YOPP is to significantly advance ping what I consider
11
page 13 PPP Steering Group – Departures and Arrivals our environmental prediction capabilities a very appealing
by Aaron-Christoph Frehlich for the polar regions and beyond. As an in- new design of
page 21 ternationally coordinated period of intensi- PolarPredictNews.
ve observing, modelling, prediction, verifi- Happy reading
06 Mid-Latitude CO2 Increase Amplifies
Arctic Sea-Ice Decrease
cation, user-engagement, and education
activities which involves various stakehol-
& stay healthy
Thomas Jung
12
by Aaron-Christoph Frehlich, Tido Semmler and ders, YOPP contributes to the knowledge
Kirstin Werner
Meeting Updates due to COVID-19
base needed to manage the opportunities
page 15
Pandemic
and risks that come with polar climate Photo: Martina
by Aaron-Christoph Frehlich and Kirstin Werner
change. Buchholz/AWI
page 22
2 3
01
A Stone’s Throw Away from the North Pole
by Helge Goessling, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Axel Schweiger, University of Washington, Seattle, Thomas
FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE: Krumpen, AWI, and SIDFEx Team*
The (Drawn) Distributed Network Preface get pushed into the open ocean before October 2020
The article reprinted here was originally published is still not more than 10-15%.
by Thomas Rackow, Alfred Wegener Institute and
two months ago at AWI’s Sea Ice Portal. At the time,
Friederike Krueger, IGS Bothfeld School, Hanover
we first looked at how our earlier SIDFEx drift fore- On Sunday, 23 February 2020, the MOSAiC expedi-
A collection of drawings of the instruments that casts for the MOSAiC expedition had performed, and tion on board the icebreaker RV Polarstern reached
have been deployed around RV Polarstern during then ventured to present a real-time forecast for the 88.5987°N, besting the northernmost point of Fridjof
the first leg of the MOSAiC expedition is now next 3.5 months, that is, until early June. We stated Nansen’s expedition 125 years ago by more than two
available and is featured in this issue of that „there is a 30% probability that the latitude of degrees of latitude. While Nansen’s goal was to reach
PolarPredictNews. These cartoons are a great way 88.5987°N reached on Sunday, 23 February 2020 will the North Pole, MOSAiC’s science plan has no specific
of engaging children and the wider public in polar be surpassed“. Now we can say that this record has in- interest in this target. Nevertheless, being so close, the
science. RV Polarstern and RV Akademik Fedorov had their deed not been broken, and it is extremely unlikely that question how close to the pole MOSAiC will get is on
rendez-vous in fall 2019 in the central Arctic when the it will over the course of the remaining drift. Instead, the mind of participants and observers at home. Is the
For the last five months, the research icebreaker RV Distributed Network of instruments was set up around the camp has made exceptionally fast progress to- camp destined for a continuation of its straight course
Polarstern has been moored to an ice floe in the Cen- Polarstern. wards Fram Strait, driven by persistent wind anomlies toward the Fram Strait, named after Nansen’s ship, or
tral Arctic Ocean (Krumpen et al., 2020, see this issue) climate models (an area comparable in size to the New associated with what is known as the positive phase of could the expedition still pass the pole on the “other
to drift for a year with the Arctic sea ice. York metropolitan area), yielding important informa- the Arctic Oscillation. side”, across the date line?
Measurements taken during polar night and polar day tion for complex climate processes that cannot yet be
from fall 2019 to fall 2020 will significantly increase explicitly resolved in these models. Towards the end of April, the ship has already al- Drift Forecasts are Essential for Expedition Plan-
the knowledge on environmental processes in the Cen- most passed 84°N, which is even slightly faster than ning
tral Arctic that have not been observed up to this point While photos can look very technical in presentations, the fastest of all trajectories comprising the SIDFEx When planning the route for his 1893 expedition to
in detail. In addition to Polarstern’s Central Observa- digital drawings can help in making things clear and consensus forecast presented in Fig. 2. It is difficult reach the North Pole, Nansen had little to go by other
tory, a network of heavy scientific equipment has been simple for an audience. The teacher Friederike Krüger to tell whether our forecast has failed in this regard than a few pieces of debris from the shipwrecked
set up on various ice floes surrounding the ship within and the climate modeller Thomas Rackow joined because of systematic errors, or whether we might Jaennette that had been found off the south-west coast
a radius of up to approximately fifty kilometres. the MOSAiC Leg 1a aboard the supporting Russian still consider the outcome consistent with the uncer- of Greenland. After more than a century of research
Measurements from around the central vessel’s lo- icebreaking vessel Akademik Fedorov. They have now tainties captured by our forecast ensemble. In any and innovation, planning and execution of science
cation allow to extend the data sets generated during published cartoons of various instruments that are part case, while MOSAiC logistics have already become missions such as MOSAiC can now draw on millions
MOSAiC and to put the MOSAiC outcome into a of the Distributed Network set up by participants of extremely challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic, of Earth observations and complex weather and cli-
large-scale spatial and temporal context. The so-called the MOSAiC School in fall 2019 (Krueger and Rack- the faster-than-expected drift possibly implies even mate models running on supercomputers that simulate
Distributed Network of instruments around Polarstern ow, 2020). “These drawings are an excellent way to more challenges ahead. If the camp shall remain on the evolution of our environment based on the laws
covers approximately the size of a grid box in current address a wider audience, including school kids”, says stable ice until autumn, a relocation to the north might of physics. The planning for the MOSAiC drift, in
Friederike Krüger who teaches Geography and Ger- become necessary at some point. Up-to-date observa- particular where and when to start, relied on satellite
man Language in Hanover, Germany. The drawings tions and forecasts, including from SIDFEx, will be an observations of Arctic sea-ice drift from the previous
which you can also find in this issue can be used freely important element to guide decisions during the weeks two decades. This historical information provided a
for science communication, outreach, and scientific and months ahead. (hfg) sense of what one might expect for the 2019-2020
talks. period. Many months before a planned mission, such
(24 February 2020) Four months into the MOSAiC climatological information so far remains the best
See also EGU’s Cryoblog drift campaign, the North Pole is less than 160 kilo- planning tool. This is because modern forecast systems
Krueger, F., & Rackow, T. 2020. The (Drawn) Dis- metres away. Current predictions by international that simulate the ice motion have difficulty adding
tributed Network Around Polarstern, MOSAiC Expe- forecast centres and researchers, collected and much skill beyond several weeks forecast lead time.
dition, Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3696853 evaluated by the Sea Ice Drift Forecast Experiment The chaotic nature of the atmosphere makes the winds
(SIDFEx), suggest that there is a chance that the that drive the ice motion largely unpredictable beyond
Sea ice thickness: The distance to the sea ice underside drift will take the expedition even further North. some point.
can be measured by the electromagnetic (EM) sensor However, the tight grip of the westward Transpolar
in the sled, or with an EM-Bird towed to the helicopter. Drift stream makes it unlikely that the ship will However, when it comes to the drift over the next days
While the sled is sitting directy on the ice surface and its pass the North Pole in the direction of North Amer- to weeks, real-time information from modern forecast
measured EM distance to the ice/water interface corre- ica. There is other good news: The probability to systems can sharpen the prediction significantly. These
sponds to the ice thickness, the EM-Bird measures the
height above the surface with a laser altimeter.
*The SIDFEx Team is listed at the bottom of the SIDFEx website.
4 55
Ocean, sea ice and atmosphe-
cast ends, several ensemble members of a (less fre-
ric measurements: (from left
quently updated) seasonal forecast take over – again
to right) Ice-Tethered Profiler,
with truncation and shift so that the trajectories remain
Ice Mass Balance Buoy (IMB),
continuous – resulting in a “seamless” drift forecast,
ice drilling, snow buoy, and
including ensemble-based uncertainties, covering the -
the Atmospheric Surface Flux
next 120 days.
Station.
forecasts are useful for mission planning and for appli- Results
cations such as the ordering of high-resolution satellite Comparing the observed drift path to the consensus
images of targets moving with the ice. Assessing how forecast issued 120 days ago reveals that the north-
well these systems work, how to improve them, and ward progress of the MOSAiC site unfolded as expect-
how to best integrate them with historical information ed, whereas the site was carried further westward than -
to generate seamless forecasts from days to months, expected on average (Fig. 1, bottom). However, the ac-
is the main motivation for the Sea Ice Drift Forecast tual position remained within the estimated 90%-confi-
Experiment (SIDFEx), an initiative of the Year of Po- dence bounds of the forecast, which also holds for the
lar Prediction (YOPP). Instead of providing forecasts short-term part of the forecast (Fig. 1, top).
based on a single system, SIDFEx is bringing together Consistent with the satellite-derived climatological -
forecasts from more than a dozen models from many forecasts, the SIDFEx forecasts issued during the first
countries, to increase accuracy and to characterize one or two months of the campaign indicated a similar
forecast uncertainty. likelihood to pass the North Pole on the Atlantic side,
across the Greenwich meridian (0 Deg Longitude),
Forecast Method or on the Pacific side, across the Date Line (180 Deg
After two years of preparations and testing with buoy Longitude). However, progress of the drift through
data provided by the International Arctic Buoy Pro- the ice has shifted the odds significantly in favour of
gram (IABP), SIDFEx now provides a consensus a passing across the Greenwich meridian. In fact, not
forecast for MOSAiC that is updated every six hours. a single one of the individual trajectories of the most
The first part of each consensus forecast is constructed recent individual extended-range forecasts crosses the
from several short-term forecast systems (listed in the Date Line, although some miss it only by a very small
weblinks below) that cover lead times up to ten days. margin (Fig. 2, left). That margin becomes broader
Those systems involve weather forecasts that “know” when current short-term forecasts, indicating a further
- about the current atmospheric situation. Unfortunately, westward drift with increasing southward component
Figure 1. Short (top) and long term (bottom) SIDFEx consensus forecast issued 27 October 2019 at 00:00 UTC. Ellipses in the due to logistical hurdles, even these forecasts are typi- for the next few days, are taken into account, as it is
left column denote 90%-confidence regions, obtained from 2-dimensional normal distributions fitted to the point clouds corre- cally already one day “old” when the SIDFEx consen- the case in the SIDFEx consensus forecast (Fig. 2,
sponding to the respective lead time (colours as indicated in the time series graphs). Time series graphs (right) show latitude and
sus forecast is constructed and therefore do not take right).
longitude for forecasts and observed trajectories for different forecast lead times (source: SIDFEx).
advantage of the most recent (known) position infor-
mation. To fix this, the outdated part of each short-term So, what does this mean for how far north MOSA-
trajectory is truncated and the remaining part is shifted iC will still go, and when will this point be reached?
so that the location at the initial time of the consensus According to the SIDFEx consensus forecast (Fig.
forecast matches the observed location. Moreover, at 2, right), there is a 30% probability that the latitude
the time when the trajectory of each short-term-fore- - of 88.5987°N reached on Sunday, 1 March 2020 will
6 77
02
The MOSAiC Near Real-Time Verification Project
by Amy Solomon, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, CIRES & University of Colorado
A project led by NOAA/CIRES evaluates fully- fields as possible. The model output should be submit-
coupled short-term forecasts with observations ted within a month after the end of each leg. For exam-
taken during MOSAiC in near real-time, with the ple, provide the model output for leg 2 by the end of
ultimate goal of identifying biases in the representa- March so a telecon can be scheduled shortly thereafter.
tion of surface-boundary layer-cloud feedbacks that
limit the skill of weather and sea-ice forecasts. Please contact Amy Solomon (see email below) for
any questions or concerns, or if help is needed in
The MOSAiC Near Real-Time Verification formatting the model output using the YOPPsiteMIP
(MOSAiC-NRV) project has been designed to evaluate protocol. All model files will be archived on the YOPP
the skill of fully-coupled short-term forecasts at the Data Portal operated by Met Norway.
RV Polarstern location after each leg of the
MOSAiC campaign, i.e. approximately every two to A preliminary evaluation of five models (four forecast
three months during the one-year ice drift campaign. models and the climate reanalysis dataset ERA5) with
Short-term forecasts of weather and sea ice are used in Polarstern radio soundings and flux station data is
this project to identify potential errors in the re- available at https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/people/amy.
presentation of surface-boundary layer-cloud feed- solomon/MOSAiC_NRV.html. This webpage will be up-
backs that cause biases in climate model projections dated when more observations are available and after
-
of Arctic climate change. The diagnostics that involve more models have been submitted. Separate pages will
multiple models operated by different national weather be created for each leg of the campaign. In a telecon-
services will focus on a process-based evaluation of ference shortly after each leg, the performance of the
the coupled Earth system to detect systematic biases models, current and future diagnostics and potential
that limit the ability to produce reliable forecasts of case studies will be discussed. A recent presentation on
weather and sea-ice conditions in the Arctic. Field MOSAiC-NRV by Amy Solomon can be found here.
measurements of snow and sea-ice characteristics
(from ice mass balance buoys IMB), the atmospher- For any questions, contact Amy Solomon amy.solo-
Figure 2. left: SIDFEx forecasts from four extended-range systems/methods, truncated and shifted to be valid from 24 February
2020 at 00:00 UTC. The “awi001_ClimRunVers2019May” forecast ensemble is based on satellite-derived drift of past years, whereas ic structure (from weather balloon radio soundings), mon@noaa.gov
the remaining forecast ensembles are based on dynamical models. The different systems/methods provide different lead-time cloud characteristics (based on radar/lidar measure-
ranges, which explains the systematic differences of the trajectory lengths. Right: The SIDFEx consensus forecast issued at the same ments), and surface energy fluxes (from four separate
time, with colour indicating the calendar month. In contrast to the standard graphical product shown in Fig. 1, this plot shows surface flux stations) will be used in the evaluation to
individual ensemble members instead of ellipses to represent the uncertainties. Note that the current version of the consensus fore- compare model output with actual observations.
cast uses only the “ecmwf001_SEAS5” forecasts to extend the short-term forecasts (source: SIDFEx).
be surpassed. A northernmost latitude beyond 89°N into the open ocean before October 2020 is still not Your Contribution of Model Output to the
appears possible, too, although only one of the 51 tra- more than 10-15%. MOSAiC-NRV Project
jectories reaches so much to the north. Concerning the The MOSAiC-NRV project is based on the
time when the record latitude will be attained, anything Scientists always caution that absolute certainty in YOPPSiteMIP activity (see documentation on
between 23 March 2020 and May 2020 seems possible. forecasts is not attainable. However, it would be a YOPPSiteMIP). Therefore, contributors of model
surprise if the MOSAiC drift would take a turn and still output are kindly requested to use the YOPPsiteMIP
Drifting Out of the Pack Ice Earlier? make it across the Date Line; too strong is the grip of protocol so that field definitions and units are con-
Probably Not the Transpolar Drift Stream. Those people on board sistent for files from the different modelling centers.
Finally, does the faster-than-expected westward Polarstern should enjoy the proximity to Nansen’s goal Since the model output for MOSAiC-NRV is pro-
drift have implications for a possible earlier end of while they can, because forecasts call for a southward vided for the MOSAiC ice floe as a moving target,
the campaign by drifting out of the pack ice earlier course soon. most modelling centers need to extract fields from
than planned? The theoretical chance of this happen- archived files, which limits both the time resolution
ing makes scientists and mission planners look with Further information of the model output and the available fields. For this
interest at the progress of the ship. The SIDFEx con- Latest real-time consensus forecast reason, model output up to six-hourly and a subset
sensus forecast does not reach far enough ahead, but of the YOPPsiteMIP variables are requested. The
the most recent satellite-derived climatological forecast SIDFEx webtool YOPPsiteMIP list of requested variables can be found The Atmospheric Surface Flux Station, also
(Fig. 2, brown curves) does. And it has some relieving here with the subset of fields requested for the MO- known as the „met sled“ measures surface ener-
news for those that hope to complete the full year of SIDFEx website SAiC-NRV project highlighted in yellow. Contributors gy budgets between the snow/ice surface and the
- are asked to please provide as many of the highlighted atmosphere.
MOSAiC measurements: The probability to get pushed
8 9
TOP Twitter Challenge and Social Media
Steering Group requested national weather centres to To engage with the Polar Prediction community, a
support on-demand radiosonde launches from Arctic Twitter challenge will accompany the Targeted Ob-
meteorological stations during spring and summer serving Periods. Aligned with the schedule of TOPs,
2020 to complement the MOSAiC Drifting Observa- the YOPP International Coordination Office will send
03 tory radiosonde launches. Support was also requested
from national centres and research institutions for a
developing framework with regards to increase the
out Twitter posts for engaging the community: For
expected cold-air outbreaks, the community could be
asked, for example, to guess on the coldest tempera-
Start of Arctic YOPP Targeted Observing Periods data uptake that will be achieved through data man- ture at the AWIPEV Station/Svalbard, including when
by Kirstin Werner, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Gunilla agement and coding strategies that facilitate coordi- it will happen; for moist air intrusion, the community
Svensson, Stockholm University, and Thomas Jung, AWI nated process-based evaluation of Numerical Weather might be asked to guess the maximum temperature
Prediction (NWP) output. at the MOSAiC camp. There will be a reward for the
In support of the MOSAiC one-year ice drift, ad- summer 2018. The Targeted Observing Periods are
winner of the challenge.
ditional weather balloons will be launched during different from SOPs, however, as extra observations
Targeted Observing Periods (TOPs)
episodes of strong interactions between the Arctic will be taken for certain flow types only, that is when
The focus of the YOPP TOPs planned during the MO- We would also like to widely share the stories related
and the mid-latitudes in spring and summer 2020. air masses are undergoing a strong transformation on
SAiC experiment is on increasing radiosonde frequen- to the TOP measurements with the com-
These so-called YOPP Targeted Observing Periods, their way into or out of the Arctic.
cy during episodes of strong interactions between the munity, using our Twitter and Instagram
or TOPs, will help to better understand cold-air
Arctic and mid-latitudes. The start of the TOPs was accounts @polarprediction and through
outbreaks from the pole and warm air intrusions YOPP Special Observing Periods
supposed to be aligned to an across-the Arctic aircraft partners’ social media channels. There-
coming from the mid-latitudes. The main objective of the earlier Arctic YOPP Special
campaign with AWI research aircraft Polar 5 and Polar fore, participating stations are asked to
Observing Periods in 2018 was to assess the impact of
6 which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the share photos of radiosonde launches with the YOPP
In September 2019, the MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary increased frequency of observations on the prediction
corona virus pandemic. Events will now be selected Office (send to: office@polarprediction.net) so mate-
Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) skill over the Northern Hemisphere. First results from
for targeted observations between March 2020 until rial can be distributed via the @polarprediction social
project (www.mosaic-expedition.org) commenced. The observing system experiments (OSEs) suggest that on
melt season, based on the atmospheric flow situation, media accounts and through the PPP website (please
resulting central Arctic Ocean MOSAiC observations average this led to only minor improvement in predic-
aiming at air masses expected to undergo significant do include copyright information, i.e. name of pho-
in concert with the ongoing measurements at the sur- tion skill. There were, however, larger impacts during
transformation that will pass over (i) existing YOPP tographer).
rounding Arctic terrestrial observatories will provide certain large-scale flow situations. Therefore, the PPP
Supersites including the MOSAiC ice camp and (ii)
an unprecedented opportunity to document the intrica- Steering Group decided at its tenth meeting in Helsinki
the ARM mobile facility at Northern Norway and See more information also on the website of the YOPP
cies of the entire Arctic system for one year. in January 2019 to revise the concept for additional
Bear Island that currently are supporting the Cold Air Processes Task Team.
Linkages between the Arctic’s and mid-latitudes at- observations. Episodes of particularly strong Arc-
Outbreaks in the Marine Boundary Layer (COMBLE)
mosphere are the focus of the upcoming YOPP Target- tic-mid-latitude linkages and their associated air mass
project. Focus for the additional radiosonde launches
ed Observing Periods, or TOPs. Starting from now and modifications are now targeted during what is called
is on the Atlantic sector of the Arctic, where the major-
onwards into summer, TOPs will take place whenever a TOP. Aligned with the MOSAiC campaign, this
ity of warm air intrusions and cold air outbreaks occur.
the atmospheric circulation is favourable for strong in- approach will further capitalize on the increasingly
The YOPP Processes Task Team will closely monitor
teractions between the Arctic and mid-latitude atmos- strong partnership that has been built between YOPP
the atmospheric flow situation to request the targeted
phere. During a TOP, the radiosonde launch frequency and the MOSAiC observing assets.
launch of additional radiosondes. Participating coun-
will be increased, similar to what happened during the
tries, institutions and stations will be notified of a
Arctic Special Observing Periods (SOPs) in winter and In order to prepare for the YOPP TOPs, the PPP
TOP five days ahead of time with details of requested
launches 24 to 48 hours ahead of time.
Development of Integrated Observation/Model
Data Files
To support the TOPs, it will be important to facilitate
the intercomparison of observations from densely
instrumented observation sites with the high frequency
model output in the immediate area around each of the Extending the capabilities of traditional ice-
identified supersites. This work is organized within mass-balance buoys, the Ice Tethered Bio Optical
the YOPP Supersite Model Intercomparison Project Buoy (ITBOB) has chlorophyll and CDOM
(YOPPsiteMIP). The intercomparison concept is based on fluorometers, oxygen optodes, CTD packages
developing a well-defined file format and compatible and light sensors attached to measure in, directly
Sea ice/ocean interface: (from left to right) sea-ice drilling, Ice Tethered Bio Optical semantics applicable across models and observations. beneath, and 5 m below the sea ice.
Buoy (ITBOB), Sea Ice Mass Balance Array (SIMBA), Drift-Towing
Ocean Profiler (D-TOP), and electromagnetic (EM) sensor measurements on sea ice.
10 11
Data Portal will display the citation for any data article
describing data cataloged in the portal provided this
information is included in the metadata that the por-
tal harvests. Alternatively, if the metadata has been
submitted to the YOPP Data Portal via the metadata
collection form, the “Dataset citation” fields will need
to be completed.
04 Contact: Siri Jodha Khalsa sjsk@nsidc.org
References
Options for Publishing YOPP Datasets [1] Callaghan, S., 2019. Research Data Publication:
by SiriJodha S. Khalsa, National Snow and Ice Data Center, CIRES and University of Colorado Moving Beyond the Metaphor. Data Science Journal,
18(1), p.39. http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2019-039
The Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) encourag- provide credit to the people and institutions who were
es good data management practices among the essential for the data production, aid in tracking the
[2] ESIP Data Preservation and Stewardship Commit-
YOPP-endorsed projects, and facilitates the docu- use and impact of a data set, increase potential for
tee (2019): Data Citation Guidelines for Earth Science Drift-Towing Ocean Profilers (D-TOP) collect atmo-
mentation and discoverability of datasets through finding new collaborators, and help future users learn
Data, Version 2. ESIP. Online resource. https://doi. spheric and hydrographic data from the upper layer of
the YOPP Data Portal. This article aims at provid- how others have used a data set [2]. Data citation
org/10.6084/m9.figshare.8441816.v1 the ocean under the ice.
ing guidance on the options that researchers doing is greatly aided by having a digital object identifier
YOPP-related work have for publishing their data. (DOI) assigned to the dataset. Many data repositories
[3] Data Citation Synthesis Group (2014): Joint Dec-
now have the capability of assigning DOIs to the data-
laration of Data Citation Principles, Martone M. (ed.)
Data, in the form of observations and numerical sets they curate.
San Diego CA: FORCE11. Online resource. https://
simulations, is the foundation YOPP will build upon
doi.org/10.25490/a97f-egyk
05
to achieve its objectives. The outputs of the research Publishing a Data Paper
that is done using YOPP data also needs to be discov- Publishing a data article is another method of ob-
[4] Wilkinson, M., et al. The FAIR Guiding Principles
erable and accessible. In fact, most publishers now taining a DOI. A data paper can supply details on the
require that the data upon which a manuscript is based collection, processing, file structure and other aspects
for scientific data management and stewardship. Sci New Sea Ice and Ocean Variables
be openly accessible. Funding agencies are also now of a dataset without going into the specifics of the
Data 3, 160018 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1038/sda- in S2S Forecast Database
ta.2016.18
requiring that data generated through publicly funded scientific analysis. Material that is often relegated to by Lorenzo Zampieri, Alfred Wegener Institute and Eu-
research be made openly available for the purposes of the “supplementary material” of a journal article can ropean Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
reuse and reproducibility. be expanded upon and made into a separate publica-
tion. This makes it possible to establish ownership of In Phase II of the Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S)
Publication of Research Data the dataset, especially if it is required to be made open Prediction Project, nine new ocean and sea-ice var-
The publication of research data, as a scholarly output immediately after collection, ahead of research results. iables have been introduced to its data base. Most
in its own right, stems from several different drivers, The Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles [3] of the S2S forecast systems now feature dynamical
among them are: 1) the desire of researchers to publish states that ice models and assimilate sea-ice and ocean obser-
as many works as possible, 2) the desire of dataset cre- vations.
ators to be given recognition for their work, and 3) the
“Data citations should be accorded The Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) Prediction Project
desire of repository managers to quantify the impact of
the same importance in the scholarly is an initiative endorsed by the World Meteorological
the data in their archives [1]. This has led to the crea-
record as citations of other research Organization (WMO) that aims to improve our un-
tion of numerous journals focusing solely on datasets,
objects such as publications.” derstanding of the Earth system predictability at the
and in some instances also experimental setup, data
collection and analysis methodologies. S2S timescale from 15 to 60 days into the future, with
A data article should therefore subsequently be cited in special emphasis on high-impact weather events. The
every publication that makes use of the data. main outcome of this project is the implementation of
Data is becoming viewed as part of a scholarly eco- a database that collects forecasts from several Numer-
system, which also includes software for data man- ical Weather Prediction (NWP) centers and research
agement and analysis, and the workflows used in the The Kovacs Mark II coring system retrieves 9 cm diame- institutions all over the world. These forecasts are pro-
research process. The ultimate aim, which the F.A.I.R. ter ice cores up to 1 meter long. Sea-ice cores are studied duced with state-of-the-art probabilistic fully-coupled
Principles are intended to support, is to enable ma- for various biological, physical and chemical parameters forecast models, meaning that the atmosphere, ocean,
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) chines to automatically find and use data to generate such as stable or radiogenic isotope ratios, chlorophyll and sea-ice model components interact and allow to
When publishing research results it is important that new knowledge [4]. and organic matter, or ice-rafted debris – fine sand simulate the complex feedbacks in the Earth system.
the data used in the study is properly cited. The YOPP material picked up at the formation of the ice floe on the Furthermore, these models are run multiple times
Data Portal provides basic guidelines for citing data The PPP ICO will advertise in its newsletter and shallow Arctic shelves. In fact, sediments were found from slightly different initial conditions, generating an
in publications. Data citations aid in reproducibility, website any published YOPP data articles. The YOPP during the set-up of the Distributed Network, see also ensemble of forecasts that takes into account the un-
Krumpen et al. (2020) in this issue, p. 31. certainties of observations, physical parameterizations
12 13
06
Mid-Latitude CO2 Increase Ampli-
fies Arctic Sea-Ice Decrease
by Aaron-Christoph Frehlich, Tido Semmler and tration over the Northern mid-latitudes, without chang-
Kirstin Werner, all Alfred Wegener Institute ing Arctic CO2 and without deleting sea-ice volume
directly in the
in the model, and the Earth system‘s chaotic nature. to compare the representation of air, ocean and sea-ice A new modelling approach by the Alfred Wegener model while
The S2S forecasts are available for an overall period interactions in different models,” says Frederic Vitart, Institute indicates that increased CO2 concentration allowing changes in Arctic sea-ice volume through
of almost three decades, allowing us to draw robust ECMWF scientist and co-chair of the S2S Prediction in mid-latitudes enhances sea-ice melt in the Arctic. interactions in the climate system. “With the changing
conclusions and to develop a deep understanding of Project. Such additional information will increase our The study that investigates different CO2 forcings CO2
the system. ability to understand and possibly correct the biases in over the Arctic and elsewhere has been recently concentrations, not only the impact from the Arctic to
models that so far limit the forecast skills in polar re- published in the peer-reviewed journal Climate the mid-latitudes can be detected, but also those from
gions. At the same time, it casts light on still unknown Dynamics. any desired region to the Arctic, and results can be
or poorly understood predictability mechanisms, directly compared”, explains Semmler of their new
especially in polar regions. The implementation of the Both field observations and model simulations depict method. “It is therefore possible to disentangle influ-
new ocean and sea-ice variables is thus an encourag- a rise in Arctic surface temperatures, twice as high as ences that CO2 changes have in different regions of the
ing example of how the interaction between the S2S the Northern Hemisphere mean temperature increase world”.
and the Polar Prediction communities improves our during the last thirty years. In order to better assess the
There are many beneficial aspects for the Polar Pre- comprehension of the polar weather and climate. Addi- different mechanisms that lead to the so-called Arctic The modelling experiments indicate that an increased
diction community to explore the S2S database and to tional information can be found on the S2S Prediction Amplification, not only local Arctic processes need to CO2 concentration in the Arctic will result only in
benefit from such a well-structured initiative. Firstly, Project and ECMWF websites. be well-understood, but insightful knowledge on the minor influences in other regions of the world. In
there are good reasons to believe that the evolution atmospheric and ocean interactions between the Arctic contrast, the study shows that increased CO2
of the sea ice, polar oceans, and snow on land could and mid- and lower latitudes is crucial. concentrations in the mid-latitudes lead to a
be predictable at the S2S timescale. Secondly, the significant decrease of Arctic sea ice. These model
description of the polar climate in the S2S forecast In a paper just published in Climate Dynamics by AWI results are, however, idealized. In reality, the increased
systems has grown in complexity since the start of the scientists Tido Semmler, Felix Pithan and Thomas CO2 concentrations added to one region would mix
S2S initiative in November 2013. Most of the forecast Jung a new modelling approach was applied where within several weeks with other regions worldwide
Ice-Tethered
systems now feature dynamical ice models and assim- four times the CO2 concentration of 1950 was as- so that consequences of increased CO2 concentrations
Profilers (ITP)
ilate sea-ice and ocean observations. And finally, the sumed over different regions on Earth. “Quantifying would be noticed everywhere. Nonetheless, the study
sample the
focus of Phase II of the S2S Prediction Project has the two-way influences between the Arctic and the shows another important mechanism of Arctic
properties of the
been broadened beyond the atmospheric domain, with mid-latitudes through regionally increased CO2 con- Amplification: the doubled effect of increased CO2
ice-covered
the introduction of nine new ocean and sea-ice varia- centrations is a physically consistent method” explains concentrations from both inside and outside the Arctic
Arctic Ocean
bles to the database. These include: Tido Semmler who led the study. “In this way, not leads to the amplified decrease of Arctic sea ice.
at high vertical
only the impacts of the Arctic on the mid-latitudes can
resolution over
• Depth of 20°C isotherm be assessed, but also the other way around.” By utilizing the AWI.CM 1.1 climate model, which
time periods of up
• Mean sea-level practical salinity in the upper contributes to the Coupled Model Intercomparison
to three years. It consists of a small
300 meters Sea ice is only present in polar regions and thus cannot Project phase 6 (CMIP6), this paper adds to the find-
surface capsule that sits atop an
• Mean sea-level potential temperature in the be changed by experiments with a model’s parameter ings by Stuecker et al. (2018), who recently used the
ice floe and supports a plastic-ja-
upper 300 meters outside the polar regions. In traditional idealized mod- Community Earth System Model (CESM) 1.2 to apply
cketed wire rope tether that extends
• Ocean mixed-layer thickness defined by sigma el simulations, sea ice is therefore being deleted from the same approach. Based on their results, Semmler et
through the ice and down into the
theta 0.01 kg/m3 the model so that the impact of the polar region’s sea- al. suggest to employ this novel approach in as many
ocean, ending with a weight (inten-
• U-component of surface current ice loss can be studied. This is also possible with the and as different modelling experiments as possiblle in
ded to keep the wire vertical). A cylindrical underwater
• V-component of surface current new method. But this time, the authors removed the order to further elaborate on the regional impacts of
instrument mounts on this tether and cycles vertically
• Sea-ice thickness sea ice through applying a CO2 forcing over the Arctic, CO2 concentrations.
along it,
• Sea-surface height four times higher than the CO2 concentration in 1950.
carrying oceanographic sensors through the water
• Sea-surface practical salinity As one would expect, the Arctic sea ice significantly Semmler, T, Pithan, F., Jung, T. 2020. Quantifying
column. Water property data are telemetered from the
decreased in the model. two-way influences between the Arctic and
ITP to shore in near-real time.
Since 1 January 2020, these new variables are archived mid-latitudes through regionally increased CO2
in the S2S database in the GRIB2 format on a 1-degree Compared to traditional modelling studies, the new concentrations in coupled climate simulations. Climate
latitude/longitude grid, they are openly available and approach also allowed to quadruple 1950s’ CO2 con- Dynamics 54, 3307–3321. https://doi.org/10.1007/
ready to be investigated by the scientific community. centrations for example over the mid-latitudes or any s00382-020-05171-z
“The new variables will help researchers to explore other desired region. Semmler and his team applied
the predictability of ocean and sea-ice conditions and this quadrupled concentration of 1950s’ CO2 concen-
14 15
15
08
A Buoyant Success: A Review of Due to several natural incidents, such as major storms,
the ‘Adopt-a-Buoy’ Programme the first buoy was lost in mid-March 2018. Eleven out
Original article from Meereisportal.de, modified by of 13 other buoys followed until December of 2018.
Aaron-Christoph Frehlich and Kirstin Werner, both Fortunately, a snow buoy named 2018S59 and an ice
Alfred Wegener Institute mass balance buoy 2018M11continued transmitting
07
well into 2019. In February 2019, when Stefanie Arndt
The “Adopt-a-Buoy” project by sea-ice scientist came back to the Southern Ocean on board Polarst-
Stefanie Arndt came to an end after two and a half ern, she was lucky to return to the snow buoy – never
New Episodes of the IcePod years. before it has been possible to revisit a buoy deployed
by Kirstin Werner and Sara Pasqualetto, both Alfred Wegener Institute in the Antarctic Ocean. Thereafter, the buoy drifted
Involving kids in scientific endeavors and experiments continuously north until its signal was lost at the end
Two new episodes of #TheIcePod, the official pod- a sea-ice buoy without IKEA instructions, the audi- is a very important way to connect to the outside of the of April 2019.
cast for the Year of Polar Prediction, are available ence learns what a smoking curl has to do with Arctic science community. Ultimately, scientific research is
from Spotify and other podcast platforms. turbulences, and how lonesome you can (not) be as a conducted to better understand nature. Communicating
vegetarian among Russian meat-eaters. your research to kids at school allows the next genera-
The IcePod is the podcast about polar science and the tions to experience the wonders of our planet as much
people. Kirstin Werner and Sara Pasqualetto from the In the third episode, the Moon Episode of the IcePod, as we, the older generations, were able to.
ICO talk to scientists and other colleagues involved in Kirstin and Sara talk to Stefan Hendricks, a sea-ice
the Year of Polar Prediction and MOSAiC about their scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute who joined Sea-ice physicist Stefanie Arndt from the Alfred Wege-
role and experience as participants of the largest Arctic the first leg of MOSAiC and worked along the Remote ner Institute in Bremerhaven had something like this in
expedition since Fridtjof Nansen’s Fram expedition in Sensing team on board Polarstern. What happens when mind when she thought about a simple way to engage
1893. lunar and solar tides are teaming up, and why Stefan with potential future scientists. At an “Open Ship”
prefers doing science rather than eating cake: this and exhibit on board the research icebreaker RV Polarstern
In Episode Two, Kirstin and Sara take a further look more can be found on this lunar episode. in 2017, Steffi and her colleagues came up with the
behind the scenes of the MOSAiC School. The mas- The IcePod is produced in collaboration with the Al- idea to invite kids to draw pictures which the scientists
ter’s student and professional photographer Thea fred Wegener Institute and Radio Weser.TV. later on would attach to a sea-ice buoy to be deployed
Schneider was one of the lucky ones, namely one of in the Arctic Ocean.
the twenty early career scientists who went on board Find the new and all previous IcePod episodes e.g.
the Russian icebreaker Akademik Fedorov, which sup- on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Castbox or on our website In her “polar Post Office” at the AWI in Bremerhaven,
ported RV Polarstern in September 2019 in the Central theicepodcast.home.blog. Germany, Stefanie Arndt collected more than sixty Stefanie Arndt revisits the snow buoy # 2018S59 on 26
Arctic. As they discussed the difficulties of assembling pictures drawn by children between 3 and 16 years February 2019. Adorned with children’s artwork, the
old, sent in from all across Germany. As the original buoy drifted for a year across the Weddell Sea in the
journey to the Arctic did not take place, Steffi took the Southern Ocean (photo: Stefanie Arndt).
artwork to the Antarctic instead where she joined a
cruise in early 2018. “To avoid making them wait too The last “adopted” buoy lost signal on 27 November
long, the kids could already share the preparations I 2019 – one year, nine months and nine days after its
made for my upcoming expedition – and of course I al- deployment by Steffi and her colleagues. Prior to stop-
ways let them know where their pictures were,” Steffi ping data transmission in the marginal ice zone, this
explains. On Meereisportal.de, Stefanie would post buoy had crossed the Weddell Sea and travelled more
regular updates on the status of her travel. Between than 8,200 km in total.
11 and 26 February 2018, Steffi and her team deployed
the autonomous measuring buoys at several sea-ice Stefanie Arndt currently is on board the icebreaker
floes in the Antarctic, also contributing to the YOPP RV Polarstern to lead the ICE Team of Leg 3 of the
observational datasets generated from the Southern MOSAiC expedition. If you would like to know more
Ocean. As evidence, Steffi sent an adopt-a-buoy cer- about her current endeavor, check out the Bonus Epi-
tificate – photographs of the kid’s drawing attached to sode of the YOPP Podcast #The IcePod where Stefanie
the buoy plus the buoy’s lifetime story from its de- Arndt talks about her preparations to join the MOSAiC
ployment until it stopped transmitting data were sent campaign.
to the little artists. The kids provided tremendous posi-
tive feedback to the sea-ice scientists with even more
questions raised.
16 17
17
10 Observing Periods on prediction skill. A major effort
Version 3.0 of YOPP Implementa-
09
during the Consolidation Phase will be using
tion Plan observation and model data from the three Special
by Jeff Wilson, AWI Consultant, Kirstin Werner and
Observing Periods and the Arctic and Antarctic
Fall Open Online Course by Thomas Jung, both Afred Wegener Institute
Targeted Observation Periods planned for early 2020
APPLICATE, APECS and YOPP A new version of the YOPP Implementation Plan and during austral winter 2022, respectively, to gain a
by Andrea Schneider and Gerlis Fugmann, both is now available. This third version of the YOPP better understanding of the oceanographic, sea-ice and
APECS IP provides further details on the Polar Prediction atmospheric processes in polar regions, particularly
Project (PPP) Consolidation Phase and outlines across the interfaces. To allow this research effort to
During Fall 2019, an open online course entitled Within eleven sessions, international experts provided progress, new data schemes have been developed to
an approach for developing the legacy of PPP and
“Advancing Predictive Capability of Northern their knowledge from September to December 2019 support the use of model and observational data.
YOPP.
Hemisphere Weather and Climate” was organized on a weekly basis to the participants. In total, 125
by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists Master and PhD students as well as Postdocs from In order to better prepare for the Consolidation Phase
The Consolidation Phase of the Polar Prediction
(APECS), the project APPLICATE (Advanced Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia and what will be the legacies from PPP, the roles
Project started in July 2019 and is now in full swing.
Prediction in Polar regions and beyond: modelling, followed the webinars and challenged the lectur- of the various PPP Task Teams, outlined in the new
This final phase of an international effort to improve
observing system design and LInkages associated ers with detailed questions. In preparation for each YOPP Implementation Plan, have been revised by the
environmental predictions in polar regions and beyond
with a Changing Arctic climaTE) and the Year of session, lecturers provided three to five top scientific PPP Steering Group. Two new Task Teams have been
will conclude at the end of 2022.
Polar Prediction (YOPP). papers from their field which fed into a comprehen- formed while some of the earlier Task Teams were
sive literature collection resulting from the course. discontinued. Currently active Task Teams can be
Details about the Consolidation Phase are now
Designed for early career researchers (e.g., Master’s The sessions were recorded and are available online found here.
available from a third and final version of the YOPP
and PhD students, Postdocs) with a specific interest in via the APECS vimeo channel.
Implementation Plan. Various activities that have been
Arctic weather and climate prediction and modelling, SAVE the DATE
initiated during previous phases of PPP and YOPP will
the course provided an overview of the state-of-the- For more information, please see the full article on A YOPP Final Summit will take place from 3 to 5 May
be continued during the Consolidation Phase. One
art knowledge of Northern high-latitude weather and the APPLICATE website. 2022 in Montreal, Canada.
example is data denial experiments, also called
climate predictions.
observing system experiments (OSEs). A number of
modelling centres are coordinating to carry out OSEs The new YOPP Implementation Plan is available on
to gain a better understanding of the impact of the the website.
additional observations during the three YOPP Special
18 1911
PPP Steering Group – Departures Eric Bazile from Météo France has already been
and Arrivals strongly engaged on the YOPP Southern Hemisphere
by Aaron-Christoph Frehlich, Alfred Wegener Institute Task Team as well as in a number of YOPP modelling
activities. Eric also leads the GEWEX/GASS
During the eleventh Steering Group meeting Atmospheric Boundary Layer Study GABLS4 to study
(see also 13 this issue), held in February 2020 in the strong stable boundary layer in the Antarctic. Eric
Bremerhaven, Germany, three new members were basically takes over the PPP SG membership from
elected to join the PPP Steering Group. earlier PPP SG member Matthieu Chevallier who
in the meantime became the Director of the Marine
We are happy to welcome three new PPP Steering Forecasting and Oceanography department at Météo
Group members who were elected at the recent PPP France.
Steering Group meeting in Bremerhaven, Germany.
At the same time, we would like to thank our former
Qizhen Sun is an Associate Professor at the National PPP-SG members Matthieu Chevallier and Mikhail
Marine Environmental Forecasting Center (NMEFC) Tolstykh for their continuous efforts and contributions
of China who is also responsible for the operational to PPP/YOPP.
weather forecasts for the Chinese National Antarctic
& Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE). Together Matthieu Chevallier joined the PPP-SG in 2014.
with Qinghua Yang, Qizhen will coordinate Chinese With his expertise on sea-ice prediction and
contributions to YOPP, with a special engagement in atmosphere-ice-ocean interactions, he has coordinated
the Southern Hemisphere. various Météo France contributions during the YOPP
Core Phase and has been strongly involved in the
Clare Eayrs works at the New York University Abu YOPP Modelling Task Team and the YOPP-endorsed
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as an ocean-ice scientist. H2020 project APPLICATE.
Her long experience with the Association for Polar
Early Career Scientists (APECS) makes her an Mikhail Tolstykh has been member of the PPP-SG
excellent choice to take over the education parts for since the early days of PPP. Since 2012, Mikhail has
YOPP, having a leading role in the YOPP coordinated the Russian contributions to PPP/YOPP
Communication, Outreach & Education Task Team. and contributed with his expertise in medium-range
and seasonal forecasts as well as in climate prediction
modelling. Past his official PPP-SG membership, he
From left to right: Qizhen Sun (photo: private), Clare Eayrs will continue to be around, e.g., to participate in
(photo: Center for Global Sea Level Change, NYUAD). Eric several YOPP activities such as the YOPPsiteMIP
Bazile (photo: private). Matthieu Chevallier (photo: :private, initiative.
Mikhail Tolstykh (photo: private).
Learn more about the PPP Steering Group here.
20 21improved initialization methods, impact of higher
resolution, improved parameterizations) and potential
12 teleconnections of high latitude climate with lower
latitude climate will also be discussed.
Meeting Updates due to COVID-19 Pandemic Further details of the session programme can be found
here.
Polar Prediction Sessions at EGU2020: Sharing
Geoscience Online (#shareEGU20)
Cancellation of 2020 YOPP-SH Meeting and
by Aaron-Christoph Frehlich and Kirstin Werner, both Alfred
Workshop on Antarctic Meteorology and Climate
Wegener Institute
(WAMC) in Hobart, Tasmania
Due to the international updates related to COVID-19,
The EGU 2020 management committee has decid-
the 15th Workshop on Antarctic Meteorology and
ed to cancel this year’s physical General Assembly
Climate (WAMC) and the 5th YOPP in the Southern
in Vienna in order to minimize a growing COV-
Hemisphere (YOPP-SH) meeting in Hobart, Tasmania
ID-19 outbreak. Nonetheless, scientific research
from 29 to 31 July 2020 had to be cancelled. Those
and collaboration are of significant importance. It
who planned on attending WAMC are invited to send a
was therefore decided to hold this year’s EGU as
status report. These can be in the form of a short
an online event instead, with a week-long series of
PowerPoint presentation, or as an extended abstract in
activities from 3–8 May 2020.
the American Meteorological Society format. The
reports can be sent to tnorton2@wisc.edu and
To exchange knowledge and share results, the joint
orendorf@wisc.edu so they can be displayed on the
YOPP-APPLICATE session “CL2.12 Exploiting
WAMC 2020 page.
Polar Observations to Improve Weather and
Climate Predictions” has been re-scheduled for a live
Cancellation of the PPP-SERA 2020 Annual
chat on Friday, 8 May, 14:00–15:45 CEST. Activities
Meeting and Open Session
and results from the YOPP and APPLICATE projects
The sixth annual PPP-SERA Task Team meeting
will be presented, as well as contributions from other
including an Open Session to engage with users of
projects and institutes that focus on how to best
polar forecast products which was supposed to be held
capitalize on existing and additional Arctic and Ant-
from 20 to 24 April 2020 at the German Alfred
arctic observations such as Copernicus to improve
Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven, had to be cancelled
forecast initial states, verification, and model physics,
due to travel restrictions related to the Corona pan-
and to optimize the future polar observing system.
demic. Until their next annual meeting in 2021, the
Further details of the session programme can be found
group will have regular online meetings.
here.
Postponement of ICASS X and YOPP Session
The session CL4.15 on “Climate Variability and
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 10th
Prediction in High Latitudes” is now scheduled
International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences
as a live chat for Friday, 8 May 2020, 10:45–12:30
The autonomous Seasonal Ice Mass Balance Buoy (IMB) (ICASS X) to be held in Arkhangelsk, Russia, from
CEST. Here, mechanisms that control high-latitude
is equipped with sensors to measure snow accumulation 15 to 20 June 2020 has been postponed. ICASS X
climate variability and predictability at sub-seasonal
and ablation, ice growth and melt, and internal ice tempe- will now take place in Arkhangelsk, Russia from
to multi-decadal time-scales will be discussed. The
rature, plus it has a satellite transmitter. 15 to 19 June 2021. This includes a YOPP session on
session aims to discuss how a better understanding and
“Tailoring Environmental Forecasting Information
better representation of the mechanisms that control
and Services to Diverse Polar Needs” that was
high-latitude climate variability and predictability in INSTAGRAM
supposed to be co-convened by PPP-SERA
both hemispheres at sub-seasonal to multi-decadal
co-chairs Machiel Lamers and Daniela Liggett.
time-scales in past, recent and future climates can be
achieved. Ongoing efforts to improve climate
predictions at high latitudes at various time scales (as
e.g. usage of additional observations for initialization, Photo: CAPIRE-YOPP/Concordia Station
22 23You can also read
