Sea Ice Outlook | Overview

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July Report July Report: Outlook Based on July Data {more}

The SEARCH Sea Ice Outlook is an international effort to provide an integrated, community-wide summary of the state of arctic sea ice over the 2008 summer season.

This effort, which emerged from discussions at the "Arctic Observation Integration Workshops" held March 2008 in Palisades, NY, is a response by the scientific community to the need for better understanding of the arctic sea ice system, given the drastic and unexpected sea ice decline witnessed in 2007.

Sea Ice Sunset

The Sea Ice Outlook produces monthly reports based on an open and inclusive process that synthesizes input from a broad range of scientific perspectives:

  1. Each month, a request to the international arctic science community solicits information on the current and expected state of the arctic sea ice.
  2. The community submissions are synthesized and reviewed by the Sea Ice Outlook Core Integration Group and Advisory Group.
  3. An integrated monthly report is produced that summarizes the evolution and expected state of arctic sea ice for September 2008, based on the observations and analyses submitted by the science community. These reports are posted in the "monthly reports" section of this website and widely distributed.
  4. The process for producing the monthly Sea Ice Outlook reports will be repeated monthly through September 2008.
  5. At the end of the summer season, a retrospective analysis will examine the success of the Sea Ice Outlook in advancing scientific understanding of the arctic sea ice system, and provide guidance to future research efforts.

The intent is not to issue predictions, but rather to summarize all available information from ongoing observing and modeling efforts to provide the scientific community, stakeholders, and the public the best available information on the evolution of the arctic sea ice cover.

The SEARCH Sea Ice Outlook is implemented through close cooperation with the DAMOCLES program and other relevant national and international efforts. Sea Ice Outlook activities are supported in part through the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).