SEARCH Projects

Long-term Observations: Collaborative Research: A Hydrological Observing System for the Pan-Arctic Landmass (Arctic-RIMS)

PI: Bromwich, Ohio State Univ Res Fdn PI: Serreze, U of Colorado Boulder PI: Vorosmarty, U of New Hampshire

Abstract

This project will collect meteorology and hydrology data from river systems that discharge into the Arctic Ocean. The dataset will be used to develop an integrated system of discharge and meteorology data that will be available in near real-time on the world Wide Web. The data set will provide a valuable resource for characterizing water budgets for an ocean that collects 10% of the global freshwater runoff. The discharge data will be used in models to determine the temporal variations in runoff. Those models are important for predicting the effect of global climate change on the freshwater balance of the Arctic Ocean which, in turn, has a major climate feedback through its influence on the formation of sea ice.