![]() |
||
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]()
April
2, 2007 UNIVERSITY
OF ALASKA-FAIRBANKS SCIENTIST TO It
rides on the ocean, absorbing energy from the circumpolar weather
systems. This movement causes a buildup of stress within the
ice. Under enough
stress, the ice cracks or buckles in a cataclysmic process that
resembles the
energy released in earthquakes. These continuous ice quakes result in
open
leads of water or mountainous ridges of broken, jumbled ice. These
deformations, in turn, may have an effect on the thickness and
durability of
the arctic ice pack in the face of climate change. Hutchings,
a research associate at the The
UAF-led expedition, which also includes lead researchers Cathleen
Geiger and Chandra Kambhamettu of the Hutchings
said the fieldwork will involve deploying buoys and other
instruments to measure the movement and stress of the ice pack in the
area
around the field camp.
“We
are going to use that information to validate the current generation
of sea ice models,” Hutchings said. “We are trying
to reduce the uncertainty of
our prediction of arctic climate change.” Ice
deformation may have an effect on climate because open leads of
water tend to add more heat and moisture to the atmosphere, which could
reduce
the overall amount of sea ice. Conversely,
if ice movement results in more ridges and thicker ice, the
result could be a more durable arctic ice pack that is less vulnerable
to
seasonal melting. The
amount of sea ice is important to the overall understanding of
climate change because it is thought to affect how much solar
radiation, and
hence heat, is reflected back into space. Sea ice is also thought to be
an
indicator of global temperature changes The
expedition also offers scientists a chance to share the field
research experience with K-12 students through the National Science
Foundation’s PolarTREC program, which links scientists and
teachers for
collaboration. Robert Harris, a high school teacher from The
SEDNA project is funded by a $1.4 million grant from the National
Science Foundation. The project will also contribute to the lead
International
Polar Year project on the state of arctic sea ice.
Recommend this Article to a Friend Back to: News |
Subscribe to the Earth Observatory About the Earth Observatory Contact Us Privacy Policy and Important Notices Responsible NASA Official: Lorraine A. Remer Webmaster: Goran Halusa We're a part of the Science Mission Directorate |