SGER:Mapping the Base of the Arctic Ice Canopy Using SCICEX/SCAMP Data

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT Edwards OPP-01-37761 This award is being made an a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER). The Principal Investigator will modify existing software tools to produce three-dimensional charts of the arctic ice canopy using acoustic data collected during the 1998 and 1999 SCience ICe EXercises (SCICEX). Maps of ice keel/lead locations and ice thickness can resolve the ongoing debate regarding whether the mass of the arctic ice canopy is, like the extent of sea-ice cover, measurably decreasing, and can improve climatic modeling. The Principal Investigator will use a unique dataset that has been collected and provides a rare opportunity to channel expertise and technology that have been developed in one field of research (seafloor mapping) to a very different set of scientific problems. In addition, the proposed project has practical applications for the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine force and could engender future SCICEX seafloor mapping collaborations.