Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The observed reduction in the summer minimum of sea ice, in terms of both magnitude and trend, is alarming. At the current rate we can expect a seasonally ice free Arctic sometime between 2013 and 2030! The principal objectives of my NSERC supported research programme are to understand the nature of sea ice dynamic and thermodynamic processes and to examine the biogeochemical consequences of changes in the physical system to those in the Arctic marine ecosystem. To accomplish this I intend to examine these interacting systems at a range of space and time scales, taking advantage of in situ experimentation, model development and a cycle of hypothesis formation, testing and reformulation. I will address the objectives of this proposal using a combination of field experiments, modelling and electromagnetic (EM) interaction studies. I plan to conduct annual sea ice field programs that are land-based, located on both mobile multiyear and landfast first-year sea ice, or from our Research Icebreaker (NGCC Amundsen). The multidisciplinary nature of our field teams allows for a true 'systems approach' to understanding how the arctic ice cover is affected by climate change and to work with biologists, geochemists and oceanographers to understand the impacts of observed changes in sea ice on various elements of the marine ecosystem. The results from this work will illuminate the causes of the observed reduction in sea ice extent and thickness; develop an understanding of the consequences of these changes on Arctic marine ecosystem function; and develop models of this physical-biological coupling capable of prediction.