AOSC Seminar by Dr. Maddie Smith, 2/17/2022
AOSC Seminar
Dr. Maddie Smith
WHOI
Title: Sea ice melt in the changing Arctic: Insights from the MOSAiC expedition
Abstract:
The visually dramatic loss of Arctic sea ice is a clear signal of the changes happening in the Arctic Ocean. The year-long MOSAiC observational campaign (2019-2020) provided a unique opportunity to understand how observed changes in sea ice in the Central Arctic are a result of interactions in the coupled atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean systems. In this seminar, I’ll focus on preliminary insights into the details of sea ice melt from my participation in the summer leg of the MOSAiC expedition. Sea ice is tightly coupled to both the upper ocean that it exists within, and the atmospheric forcing from above. At the surface, the well-known sea ice-albedo feedback operates to mediate absorption of solar energy. Much of the daily variability in albedo and surface melt is due to small-scale features that are largely poorly resolved. As sea ice melts, relatively fresh meltwater pooling around and under ice partially de-couples it from the ocean below. This fine-scale stratification determines local melt (or growth) rates throughout the melt season. Then, the details of sea ice melt from both above and below have implications for the broader sea ice mass balance. This dataset provides many opportunities for further exploration of the processes and changes in the changing, coupled Arctic system.
Bio:
Dr. Maddie Smith is a postdoctoral research associate at the Polar Science Center at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Lab, and an Assistant Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution starting September 2022. Dr. Smith received a PhD from the University of Washington in Civil & Environmental Engineering in 2019 and a BA in Earth & Oceanographic Science and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College in 2014. Her research combines observations taken in the Arctic and Antarctic with modeling approaches to better understand the interactions of sea ice with the ocean, including ocean surface waves and near-surface stratification, and the implications for climate models. Dr. Smith has participated in five major research cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic, including the MOSAiC expedition (2019-2020) and ONR’s SODA, Sea State, and MIZ campaigns.
Contact: Sinead Farrell
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AOSC Seminar
Pre-seminar refreshment: N/A
Seminar: 3:30-4:30pm, Room: ATL 2400(only when in-person)
Meet-the-Speaker: 4:30-5:00pm, Room: ATL 3400(only when in-person) [For AOSC Students only]
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