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Author Topic: NSIDC Arctic sea ice news  (Read 5463 times)

Paddy

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NSIDC Arctic sea ice news
« on: February 08, 2017, 05:52:49 PM »
February edition is out: http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2017/02/2017-ushers-in-record-low-extent/

I'm planning to start a monthly update on this, if that would be useful - please feed back on whether it would.

Key figures in the first paragraph:

"Arctic sea ice extent for January 2017 averaged 13.38 million square kilometers (5.17 million square miles), the lowest January extent in the 38-year satellite record. This is 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 square miles) below January 2016, the previous lowest January extent, and 1.26 million square kilometers (487,000 square miles) below the January 1981 to 2010 long-term average."
« Last Edit: February 08, 2017, 07:17:37 PM by Paddy »

Neven

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Re: NSIDC Arctic sea ice news
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2017, 06:59:09 PM »
If you're only going to post a link, you'd better do it in the freezing/melting threads. If you're going to post some highlights from the summary, you're giving people something to discuss, which is the essence of a forum thread.

But it will be overlapping, of course. The forum will decide.
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Paddy

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Re: NSIDC Arctic sea ice news
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2017, 07:23:26 PM »
Got it. Will include a brief summary and also plan to copy maps and graphs with links in future updates.

Paddy

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Re: NSIDC Arctic sea ice news
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2017, 01:11:59 AM »
February's monthly update is out: http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2017/03/another-warm-month-in-the-arctic/

In brief summary, it's another record low monthly extent, as anyone on this forum would be aware. Also, the final section regarding concerns about the lifespan of current satellites tracking sea ice is well worth taking note of, imho.


Darvince

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Re: NSIDC Arctic sea ice news
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2017, 06:08:20 AM »
"As noted last year, the sensor that NSIDC had been using for sea ice extent, the Special Sensor Microwave Imager and Sounder (SSMIS) on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F17 satellite, started to malfunction. In response, NSIDC switched to the SSMIS on the newer F18 satellite. Later, F17 recovered to normal function, though it recently started to malfunction again.

The DMSP series of sensors have been a stalwart of the sea ice extent time series, providing a continuous record since 1987. Connecting this to data from the earlier Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) results in a continuous record starting in 1979 of high quality and consistency. However, with the issues of F17 and last year’s loss of the newest sensor, F19, grave concerns have arisen about the long-term continuity of the passive microwave sea ice record. Only two DMSP sensors are currently fully capable for sea ice observations: F18 and the older F16; these two sensors have been operating for over 7 and 13 years respectively, well beyond their nominal 5-year lifetimes.

The only other similar sensor currently operating is the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), which is approaching its 5-year design lifetime in May 2017. NSIDC is now evaluating AMSR2 data for integration into the sea ice data record if needed. Future satellite missions with passive microwave sensors are either planned or proposed by the U.S., JAXA, and ESA, but it is unlikely that a successor to the DMSP series and AMSR2 will be operational before 2022. This presents a growing risk of a gap in the sea ice extent record. Should such a gap occur, NSIDC and NASA would seek to fill the gap as much as possible with other types of sensors (e.g., visible or infrared sensors)."

are you serious

nicibiene

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Re: NSIDC Arctic sea ice news
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2017, 07:43:52 AM »
are you serious

really ridiculous to read...coincidence or strategy? we seem to enter a postfactual time- in every level...quit measuring, observation, start struggling. to survive. continent against continent. country against country. area against area.  :o
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gerontocrat

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Re: NSIDC Arctic sea ice news
« Reply #6 on: March 10, 2017, 07:30:30 PM »
The satellites belong to the USAF. This shambles is more than 2 years old. Dispute between USAF and Congress.. It first became well known last April (?) when NSIDC and "Cryosphere Today" stopped updating due to satellte malfunction. NSIDC managed to get back after a few months. Cryosphere Today did not.

"Space News" has got most of the unhappy story in its archives. Prospects for securing the continuous data record are not looking good.
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