Satellite Observations in the Pacific Arctic Region


Satellite Observations of Sea Ice Variability and Primary Production in the Pacific Sector of the Arctic Ocean
Funding Agency: US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and NOAA/PMEL
Funding Period: 2012-2014

This funded research focused on recent variability in sea ice cover utilizing the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer – EOS (AMSR-E) time series of brightness temperature data collected from the Aqua satellite platform.  These data (spanning from June 2002 through October 2011) provided a relatively high spatial resolution (6.25 km) daily time series of sea ice concentrations throughout the region.  Because of the failure of the AMSR-E sensor in October 2011, it was timely to assess this entire time series for spatial and interannual variability in the annual persistence of sea ice cover, as well as the timing of sea ice breakup and formation. 

Resulting Publications:

Frey, K. E., G. W. K. Moore, J. M. Grebmeier & L. W. Cooper (2015), Divergent Patterns of Recent Sea Ice Cover across the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas of the Pacific Arctic Region. Progress in Oceanography 136, 32–49, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2015.05.009. pdf copy

Grebmeier, J. M., B. A. Bluhm, L. W. Cooper, S. L. Danielson, K. R. Arrigo, A. L. Blanchard, J. T. Clark, R. H. Day, K. E. Frey, R. R. Gradinger, M. Kedra, B. Konar, K. J. Kuletz, S. H. Lee, J. R. Lovvorn, B. L. Norcross & S. R. Okkonen (2015), Ecosystem characteristics and processes facilitating persistent macrobenthic biomass hotspots and associated benthivory in the Pacific Arctic. Progress in Oceanography 136, 92–114, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2015.05.006. pdf copy