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Polarpredictnews #18 Antarctic Summer 2021 PolarPredictNews #18 Antarctic summer 2021 Find more information at for Polar Prediction www.polarprediction.net #18 PolarPredictNews AugustMay 20212021 Photo: Christian Paulmann, DWD Sharing Data- Addicted to Antarctic Weather Driven Stories One of the stations in Antarctica manned year-round is the of Arctic Climate Neumayer III in Queen Maud Land (or Dronning Maudl Land Change DML). DML extends from 65°S to 85°S and from 20°W to 45°E and by Zack Labe covers an area of approximately 5 million km². Neumayer III is only reachable in austral summer, when supplies and new station Enhancing Capabilities of team members come by air or sea. But even at that time of the Numerical Weather Prediction year, the weather decides whether this is in the Arctic Tools of the Alertness possible or not. All the logistics are protected by the Project by Marvin Kähnert German Weather Service (DWD), which monitors the DML all year, either from Cape Town or, from late “Alaska of the Late 21st Century Will be November to early February, directly from Somewhat Different” Interview with Rick Neumayer III. The challenge for meteorologists: Thoman the whole of DML only has ten weather stations. To compensate, DWD uses, “It‘s Really the Whole Package” for example, data from daily radiosonde YOPP-endorsed! – The APPLICATE Project Interview with ascents and images from polar- APPLICATE PI Thomas Jung and project manager Luisa Cristini orbiting weather satellites. Read more on page 26. 1 Dear Colleagues, International Coordination Office (ICO) Find more information at In this 18th issue of PolarPredictNews, it is great for Polar Prediction www.polarprediction.net to see Zack Labe’s story on Arctic science Art + Science communication through data visualizations (p. 5). As an experienced user of social media platforms, TOP STORY Content FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE: Zack proposes the many but yet underexplored Sharing Data-Driven Stories of Arctic THE POLAR PREDICTION FACTS WEEKS p. 30–31 ways for the polar community to display their data MOSAiC Leg 4 in Water Colours so that the public can easily follow the changes in Climate Change by Mayleen Schlund 01p. 5–8 by Zachary Labe by Amy MacFarlane p. 24–25 the polar regions and beyond. PolarPredictNews – Call Marvin Kähnert’s idea for an article in NEW PUBLICATIONS for Polar Prediction “Art + PolarPredictNews emerged during the YOPP Relative Impact of Observations on Arctic Session of the Arctic Science Summit Week 02p. 9 Science” Weather Forecast earlier this year. Marvin who is a PhD candiate 19p. 42 New study by Roger Randriamampianina et al. collaborating with MET Norway has now Enhancing Capabilities of with data from the YOPP Special Observing summarized various interesting tools of the YOPP- Numerical Weather Prediction in Period endorsed Alertness project to enhance numerical 03 The IcePod Episodes Ten and p. 10–12 the Arctic NEW PUBLICATIONS weather prediction capabilities for the Arctic (p. 10). Tools of the Alertness Project Eleven 11 #10 Binoculars Are My Evaluation of Sea-Ice Thickness in the by Marvin Kähnert p. 32–33 In his article, Lorenzo Zampieri asks whether a Weapons with Laura Weddell Sea Schmidt 20p. 42–43 Qian Shi et al. look into monthly Antarctic sea- complex sea-ice model is better than a simple one Alaska’s Weather and Climate #11 Zoe and the Quiet ice data (p. 18). Based on his work at the Alfred Wegener Call for Change in Consciousness? Institute, he suggests strategies for successfully Ocean with Zoe Koenig NEW PUBLICATIONS 04p. 13–15 by Nikolata Petridi dealing with the ever-rising complexity in sea-ice The Regional Ice Ocean Prediction modelling. Support for the YOPP International “Alaska of the Late 21st 21 System v2: A Pan-Canadian Ocean Century Will be Somewhat Coordination Office p. 43 Analysis System I also recommend looking at the summary on 12p. 34 05p. 16–17 Different” Greg Smith et al. present the first pan- Alaska‘s current weather and climate trends (p. Interview with Rick Thoman Canadian operational ocean analysis system 13) and the interview with Rick Thoman (p. 16), All Across the Globe by Nikoleta Petridi “It‘s Really the who has fostered the dialogue with local Alaskan PPP Steering Group Meeting #12 Whole Package” communities for many years in support of decision- 13p. 34–35 by Jeff Wilson Is a Complex Sea-Ice Model Better 22p. 44–46 YOPP-endorsed! – The APPLICATE making. for Your Simulations? Project 06p. 18–20 by Lorenzo Zampieri Interview with APPLICATE PI Thomas Jung This spring, the YOPP-endorsed APPLICATE Virtual Meetings on Polar Prediction and project manager Luisa Cristini project came to an end – hence the ICO invited in the Southern Hemisphere us, i.e. our APPLICATE project manager Luisa The United Nations Ocean Decade 14p. 36 Cristini and myself as PI, to review the project in a Polar Context Upcoming (Mostly Online) Meetings efforts and success stories (p. 44). I would like 07p. 21 by Daniel Butkaitis 23p. 47 to use this opportunity to once again thank all The YOPP Southern Hemisphere project members for their manifold contributions to Task Team The Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) is a ma- On Kitchen Scales APPLICATE. 15p. 37–38 Interview with Task Team Lead jor international activity that was initiated by and Drifting Icebergs David Bromwich the World Meteorological Finally, I am most happy to invite the polar 08p. 22–23 – An Antarctic Diary Organization as a key component of the prediction community to the YOPP Final Summit, by Stefanie Arndt PPP-SERA Online Annual Meeting 2021 Polar Prediction Project (PPP). which is scheduled to take place from 1–4 May by Daniela Liggett The overarching goal of YOPP is to 2022 in Montreal, Canada, At the moment, we YOPP Final Summit 16p. 39 significantly advance our environmental are planning for an 1–4 May 2022 – prediction capabilities for the polar regions in-person meeting, 09p. 26–27 Save the Date Virtually Connected – The 2021 Online and beyond. to bring YOPP to a Arctic Science Summit Week As an internationally coordinated period of successful closure 17 intensive observing, modelling, prediction, Two New Contributions to Polar p. 40 by Clare Eyars, Mayleen Schlund and Kirstin and ensure a strong Werner verification, user-engagement, and legacy. Prediction Matters education activities involving various stake- 10p. 28–29 • Climate Service for the Chief Snowmaker Big in Japan but Virtual – Third Arctic holders, YOPP contributes to the Happy reading, • Addicted to Antarctic Weather Science Ministerial Meeting knowledge base needed to manage the Thomas Jung – What Queen Maud has to do 18p. 41 by Mayleen Schlund opportunities and risks that come with with Germany’s National Weather polar climate change. photo: Martina Buchholz/ Service DWD Alfred Wegener Institute TOP STORY PolarPredictNews #18 Art + Science FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE: 01 MOSAiC Leg 4 in Water Colours by Amy MacFarlane Sharing Data-Driven Stories of Arctic Climate Change by Amy MacFarlane, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research and Mayleen Schlund, WMO WWRP by Zachary Labe, Colorado State University, @ZLabe International Coordination Office for Polar Prediction, Alfred Wegener Institute During her first five-month trip during leg 3 on Zachary Labe is a postdoctoral researcher In many ways, the Arctic is the board Polarstern, Amy MacFarlane, PhD student at Colorado State University in the canary in the coal mine. It’s a at the Snow and Avalanche Research Institute in Department of Atmospheric Science. region that is already experiencing Switzerland, extended her stay for another three His research considers signal-to-noise numerous direct and indirect months to join leg 4 of the MOSAiC campaign. problems in large-scale climate variability, effects of climate change, which Luckily, Amy did not abandon her previously especially related to the Arctic. He is also continue to bring new challenges pursued hobby and continued to paint to capture very passionate about improving science to local communities and their more moments from the MOSAiC adventure. communication, accessibility, and outreach surrounding environmental through engaging data visualizations. Zack Labe ecosystems. It’s also a warning for After collecting all my thoughts to return home, (photo: private). the rest of the planet as to the many I was asked to extend my stay for another three The Arctic is a region of dramatic change. interconnected ways that climate months. Of course, I did not hesitate to agree to It’s an area that continues to warm at a rate of change affects society and the entire continue working on Polarstern and unpacked nearly three times the global average temperature Earth system. While there have been an increasing my brushes and paint again, being excited to – otherwise known as Arctic amplification number of efforts to focus on sharing indigenous watercolour even more memories from the field. (Richter-Menge and Druckenmiller, 2020). But knowledge and perspective, the far-ranging impacts communicating the causes and consequences of of Arctic amplification still remain elusive to most During leg 4 of MOSAiC, the ice floe that once had Amy MacFarlane extended her stay during the MOSAiC field Arctic climate change is still rather difficult. people. Therefore, it’s really important that we start the character of a fortress had already disintegrated campaign for another leg (photo: Delphin Ruché). talking about it (even more). into a mosaic of ice floes. After Polarstern got For one thing, it’s a far and remote place, which conditions, is called “Miss Piggy”. The other one, back to the ice camp in July with the new team very few people have the opportunity to visit. One of the biggest challenges for science called “The Beluga” due to their iconic shape and of which I was a member now, I continued my In that sense, the Arctic almost holds an aura of communication (and climate change colour is used to measure vertical dispersion of research on seasonally Arctic snow changes, both mystery.
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