wmo-im
Add new sea ice variable: Sea-ice age
Introduction
Arctic sea ice has thinned over the last few decades, with a trend toward younger, thinner ice. Older ice is thicker than younger ice, contributing to a decrease in total ice volume in addition to that resulting from a decrease in total ice cover. Therefore, sea ice age is of particular interest in a climatological context.
Proposed name: Sea-ice age Proposed definition: Age of ice since its formation. Proposed unit of measurement: years
Amendment details
There is no current sea-ice age variable.
| notation | name | definition |
|---|---|---|
| TBD | Sea-ice age | Age of ice since its formation. |
All the units involved exist and no changes are needed.
Requestor(s)
Group: Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW). POCs:
Jeff Key ([email protected]), University of Wisconsin Petra Heil, University of Tasmania and Australian Antarctic Division, ([email protected]) Rodica Nitu, WMO, ([email protected])
Stakeholder(s)
National and international ice services, e.g., US National Ice Center, North American Ice Service, Norwegian Ice Service; scientific community for remote sensing validation, meteorological/climatological and modeling applications.
Applications or Systems
- [x] OSCAR/Surface
- [x] OSCAR/requirements
- [ ] GAWSIS
- [ ] Radar/DB
- [ ] OceanOPS
- [ ] WHOS
- [ ] WDQMS
- [ ] GBON Compliance Monitor
- [ ] Other
Expected impact of change
LOW
Consultations
Sea ice experts in and outside of the Global Cryosphere Watch were consulted on the importance of this variable.
Statement of Guidance for Cryosphere Applications (draft; https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zl34oVvWNMO8VXBgDFpo08CK4bFDL6cU62flGCoz8yM/edit?usp=sharing)
One example of current usage - Online: https://nsidc.org/data/soac/sea-ice-age, https://www.climate.gov/maps-data/data-snapshots/data-source/arctic-sea-ice-age. Data: https://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0611/versions/4.
References: Maslanik, J., J. Stroeve, C. Fowler, and W. Emery, 2011: Distribution and trends in Arctic sea ice age through spring 2011. Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L13502, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL047735.
Liu, Y, J. R. Key, X. Wang, and M. Tschudi, 2020: Multidecadal Arctic Sea ice thickness and volume derived from ice age. Cryosphere, 14, 1325–1345, https:// doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1325-2020.
Data exchange
No response
Comments
No response
