Which Observations Are Most Important For Characterizing Arctic Sea Ice? (Invited Presentation)

Assimilating observations in sea ice models is a new and promising means of investigating Arctic sea ice. The Arctic Ocean is used for a variety of purposes and knowledge of sea ice conditions can benefit humans in many ways. However, only a few variables are well observed on a routine basis. Yet, we know certain relations prevail across variables and across time and space.  We take advantage of these relations by employing a multivariate data assimilation scheme in a state-of-the-art sea ice model. We use the system to determine which observations when assimilated lead to improved characterization of the sea ice state.