Coordination, Data Management and Enhancement of the International Arctic Buoy Programme

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP) is one of the oldest continuously-operating environmental monitoring networks in the high Arctic. This proposal is for the renewal of NSF of the IABP under the auspices of the Arctic Observing Network (AON). Funds from this proposal will be used for the coordination, data management, and deployment of the buoys. Observations from the IABP are essential for (1) monitoring arctic and global climate change (many of the changes in arctic climate were first observed or explained using data from the IABP; including surface temperature increases throughout the Arctic Ocean, changes in ocean currents, and thinning of sea ice), (2) forecasting weather and sea ice conditions, (3) forcing, assimilation and validation of global weather and climate models, and (4) validation of satellite derived estimates of sea ice motion, surface temperature, and sea ice thickness. New technology in air-droppable buoys will be employed, and deployment will emphasize regions where there have historically been data gaps. IABP data, presently archived at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and the National Ice Center (NIC) will be migrated to the Cooperative Arctic Data and Information System (CADIS), in direct support of AON objectives.