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Our paper about snow density on Arctic sea ice is out!
This was a big effort to improve our understanding of spatial variability and I’m really proud of result.
The paper contains a ton of detail, so here is a thread on what might not be in the text: https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/4323/2020/
This was a big effort to improve our understanding of spatial variability and I’m really proud of result.
The paper contains a ton of detail, so here is a thread on what might not be in the text: https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/4323/2020/
Welcome to my office, the snow pit. I spend a lot of time here.
I try to read pits like a history of what’s happened on the ice. They can tell us if its been windy or how many storms have occurred.
The problem is they take a long time to do well and represent a small area.
I try to read pits like a history of what’s happened on the ice. They can tell us if its been windy or how many storms have occurred.
The problem is they take a long time to do well and represent a small area.
Back in 2014 we purchased a SnowMicroPen (SMP), a tool finding its way into a range of snow science applications.
Researchers at SLF figured out that snow properties, like density, could be modeled from its mechanical signal.
Cool, but does it work on sea ice?
Researchers at SLF figured out that snow properties, like density, could be modeled from its mechanical signal.
Cool, but does it work on sea ice?
Snow on sea ice is deceptive.
It looks smooth at times, but when you dig in there's a lot going on.
Massive grains, ice lenses, and density swings are all par for the course.
In 2016, we tested the SMP near Eureka, Nunavut to see how it would handle this.
It looks smooth at times, but when you dig in there's a lot going on.
Massive grains, ice lenses, and density swings are all par for the course.
In 2016, we tested the SMP near Eureka, Nunavut to see how it would handle this.
With a custom mount and a sampling method that included planks, we were able to collect a huge set SMP profiles.
In the paper we use these to develop a workflow for sea ice and discuss variability of snow density.
It worked well; we were pleased.
In the paper we use these to develop a workflow for sea ice and discuss variability of snow density.
It worked well; we were pleased.
Reviewer 3 (not really): Conditions within the archipelago are not representative of larger Arctic domains
Us: Fine, we'll fly as far north as we can and collect more
Welcome to the Arctic Ocean where we landed multiple times on the way to 81N from Alert in 2017
Us: Fine, we'll fly as far north as we can and collect more
Welcome to the Arctic Ocean where we landed multiple times on the way to 81N from Alert in 2017
What’s it like to land on ice in the middle of the ocean?
Intense. Fun, if you enjoy steep banks and stall warnings for hours on end.
Watching this landing makes me truly thankful for the skill of pilots we work with.
Intense. Fun, if you enjoy steep banks and stall warnings for hours on end.
Watching this landing makes me truly thankful for the skill of pilots we work with.
Safe on the ice?
Great, now get out the door to make sure the ice is thick enough to support the aircraft.
We needed to land on sections of the ice that had opened and refrozen (leads).
They're can be thin but were smooth enough to ensure our landing skis would not snag.
Great, now get out the door to make sure the ice is thick enough to support the aircraft.
We needed to land on sections of the ice that had opened and refrozen (leads).
They're can be thin but were smooth enough to ensure our landing skis would not snag.
Sites we accessed by aircraft needed be done quickly so the team worked REALLY fast.
This simply would have not happened without the fantastic people involved.
This simply would have not happened without the fantastic people involved.
Most flights back to Alert ended up like this.
We really left it all out on the ice.
We really left it all out on the ice.
The data we collected north of Alert helped us to demonstrate the method in a dynamic range of environments and connect it back to Eureka.
A big thanks AWI, ESA, CFS Alert, Ken Borek and many others for making the Alert88N campaign a reality.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017GL075434
A big thanks AWI, ESA, CFS Alert, Ken Borek and many others for making the Alert88N campaign a reality.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017GL075434
Early on we decided to make our workflow open so others could reproduce the science with minimal pain.
The code base builds on the efforts of many others. @SciPyTip, @sthendric, @SLF_SnowHydro, @m2brady your work is in there, thank you. https://github.com/kingjml/SMP-Sea-Ice
The code base builds on the efforts of many others. @SciPyTip, @sthendric, @SLF_SnowHydro, @m2brady your work is in there, thank you. https://github.com/kingjml/SMP-Sea-Ice
Reviewer 2, I think we could be friends.
This note makes the effort behind the open science more than worth it.
This note makes the effort behind the open science more than worth it.
What could you do with our data or code?
Well, the Eureka profiles are coincident with a @NASA_ICE IceBridge mission.
The Alert profiles were collected during @ESA_EO CryoVEx.
There are SMP profiles from SnowEx to test against.
https://nsidc.org/data/SNEX17_SMP
Well, the Eureka profiles are coincident with a @NASA_ICE IceBridge mission.
The Alert profiles were collected during @ESA_EO CryoVEx.
There are SMP profiles from SnowEx to test against.
https://nsidc.org/data/SNEX17_SMP
We don't often talk about the 'science behind the science' so I hope this was a fun look at what went into 17 pages of text and figures.
If it was not clear, I really enjoyed all this and am so thankful to be surrounded by amazing people who think snow is cool.
If it was not clear, I really enjoyed all this and am so thankful to be surrounded by amazing people who think snow is cool.
One last note: No. I don't think any one tool will replace a snow pit. Get your shovel out.
