Photo by Jeff Peneston (PolarTREC 2008/2009), Courtesy of ARCUS
Photo by Jeff Peneston (PolarTREC 2008/2009), Courtesy of ARCUS

The Sea Ice Predication Network (SIPN), launched in late 2013, is a collaborative network of scientists and stakeholders seeking to advance research on Arctic sea ice prediction and communication of sea ice knowledge and tools. With funding from NSF's Arctic Sciences Section, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Energy (DOE), SIPN builds on the Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) project with effort focused on seasonal forecasting. SIPN objectives include coordinating and evaluating sea ice prediction activities; integrating, assessing, and guiding sea ice observations; synthesis of observations and predictions; disseminating predictions; and engaging key stakeholders.

The SIPN leadership team has organized initial activities to introduce the project and build the network. The first event, a Town Hall meeting on 3 December during the American Geophysical Union (AGU) fall meetings, provided a project overview of the project and introduced several efforts, including an analysis of recent contributions to the SIO.

Two other sea ice prediction events organized for the community include an open webinar, held on Thursday, 20 February, and a workshop scheduled for 1-2 April 2013.

The webinar will present a brief summary of SIPN project goals and begin discussions on how to improve sea ice predictions, with emphasis on planning for 2014 Sea Ice Outlook. Presentations during the webinar will provide a prelude to the April workshop. More information and registration is available on the SIPN website.

The Sea Ice Prediction workshop will be held 1-2 April 2014 in Boulder, Colorado at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Funded in part by DOE, the workshop goals include planning for the 2014 SIO and advancing the science of sea ice prediction by coordinating experiments, defining and developing data sets for initialization and validation, creating new and better metrics for evaluation, and discussing stakeholder needs. Anticipated workshop participants will include SIO contributors, data experts, sea ice experts, experts on prediction from other fields, and U.S. agency program managers.

For further information about SIPN, please see the SIPN website or contact Julienne Stroeve (stroeve [at] nsidc.org), Cecilia Bitz (bitz [at] uw.edu), or Helen Wiggins (helen [at] arcus.org)

SIPN Leadership Team

Julienne Stroeve, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Project Principal Investigator/NSF Principal Investigator

Cecilia Bitz, University of Washington
ONR Principal Investigator

Walt Meier, NASA
Co-Principal Investigator

Hajo Eicken, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Co-Principal Investigator

Larry Hamilton, University of New Hampshire
Co-Principal Investigator

Helen Wiggins, Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS)
ARCUS Principal Investigator

Philip Jones, Los Alamos National Laboratory
DOE Principal Investigator

Jim Overland, NOAA/University of Washington

Muyin Wang, NOAA/University of Washington

Jenny Hutchings, Oregon State University

Adrienne Tivy, National Research Council of Canada

Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, University of Washington

Elizabeth Hunke, Los Alamos National Laboratory