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Request for 2008 September Sea Ice Outlooks - SEARCH and DAMOCLES Programs

May 22, 2008

Request for 2008 September Sea Ice Outlooks
Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) and Developing Arctic
Modelling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies
(DAMOCLES) Programs

Submission deadline: Wednesday, 28 May 2008

For further information and to submit an outlook, please send an email
with the subject heading "2008 Outlook" to:
James Overland
Email: james.e.overland@noaa.gov

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Based on recommendations from an international workshop organized under
the auspices of the US Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) and
the European Developing Arctic Modelling and Observing Capabilities for
Long-term Environmental Studies (DAMOCLES) programs, a community-wide
Arctic Sea Ice Outlook for September 2008 is being initiated. Heightened
interest from the public, as well as within the arctic research
community, suggests that a coordinated summary based on observations,
models and expert opinions will advance scientific understanding of
arctic sea ice loss and variability, and will help improve integration
of scientific activities. The organizers of the Outlook invite all
approaches and contributions to the 2008 Outlook.

The organizers would like start immediately, with outlooks based on
relevant May and preceding months' information. A more fully developed
plan will be implemented in June. To participate, please send an email,
by Wednesday, 28 May, with the subject line "2008 Outlook" to James
Overland at: james.e.overland@noaa.gov. In the email, please include the
following information:

1. What will the sea ice extent for the Arctic as a whole be at the
September 2008 minimum? Quantitative estimates in square kilometers are
preferred (the value for 2007 was 4.3 million square kilometers), but
qualitative estimates are also accepted.

2. A short summary of a few lines that gives the basis of your
assessment, and that can be abstracted into a larger synthesis.

3. A supporting paragraph and possible figures that expand and help
explain the basis for your outlook.

4. A brief statement of what type of additional information would help
to improve your outlook, if any.

These responses and a summary will be posted at a SEARCH Project Office
Website in early June. The organizers of this activity also invite brief
assessments of the anticipated ice evolution over the course of the
summer (June-September) in the following subregions:
Bering/Chukchi/Beaufort Seas, Barents Sea, Northern Sea Route, and the
Northwest Passage.

The goal of this effort is synthesis and integration of different
observation and modeling efforts and to establish communication to
provide a broad-based assessment and understanding of current arctic sea
ice change. Additional details on the Sea Ice Outlook and its
implementation can be found at:
http://www.arcus.org/search/downloads/Arctic_Observation%
20Integration_Workshops_Report.pdf

The Outlook organizers hope that this challenge will be interesting and
useful, and that you will consider participating.

For further information and to submit an outlook, please send an email,
with the subject line "2008 Outlook" to:
James Overland
Email: james.e.overland@noaa.gov

The submission deadline is Wednesday, 28 May 2008.