Description:

Changes in sea ice cover in the polar regions lead to increasing opportunities for navigation, commerce, and other human activity in the Arctic and the Southern Ocean. Real-time information about the location, concentration, thickness, and movement of sea ice and icebergs is crucial to increasing the safety of polar mariners. Advancements to science and technology and their incorporation into operational workflows are key to fulfilling that mission. Leveraging novel techniques in remote sensing among a multitude of platforms can provide higher spatial and temporal coverage, allowing for more timely and accurate ice observations. Coupled atmosphere-ocean-ice models can allow for more accurate long-term forecasts of the ice growth and dynamics. Advancements in computing power and machine learning algorithms provide the means for automation of certain operational products. This session will highlight ongoing sea ice research that will aid operational ice centers and other agencies to meet the opportunities and challenges of the evolving polar landscapes in the coming years. Conveners: Sarena Danielle Padilla, US National Ice Center; Stephen Mango, NOAA/NESDIS/OSAAP and ISS, Inc.