C13C-0831
First Results from the ASIBIA (Arctic Sea-Ice, snow, Biogeochemistry and Impacts on the Atmosphere) Sea-Ice Chamber

Monday, 14 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
James France, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4, United Kingdom, Roland von Glasow, University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich, NR4, United Kingdom and Max Thomas, University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich, United Kingdom
Abstract:
The ocean-ice-atmosphere system is very complex, and there are numerous challenges with conducting fieldwork on sea-ice including costs, safety, experimental controls and access. By creating a new coupled Ocean-Sea-Ice-(Snow)-Atmosphere facility at the University of East Anglia, UK, we are able to perform controlled investigations in areas such as sea-ice physics, physicochemical and biogeochemical processes in sea-ice, and to quantify the bi-directional flux of gases in established, freezing and melting sea-ice.

The environmental chamber is capable of controlled programmable temperatures from -55°C to +30°C, allowing a full range of first year sea-ice growing conditions in both the Arctic and Antarctic to be simulated. The sea-ice tank within the chamber measures 2.4 m x 1.4 m x 1 m water depth, with an identically sized Teflon film atmosphere on top of the tank. The tank and atmosphere forms a coupled, isolated mesocosm. Above the atmosphere is a light bank with dimmable solar simulation LEDs, and UVA and UVB broadband fluorescent battens, providing light for a range of experiments such as under ice biogeochemistry and photochemistry. Ice growth in the tank will be ideally suited for studying first-year sea-ice physical properties, with in-situ ice-profile measurements of temperature, salinity, conductivity, pressure and spectral light transmission. Under water and above ice cameras are installed to observe the physical development of the sea-ice. The ASIBIA facility is also well equipped for gas exchange and diffusion studies through sea-ice with a suite of climate relevant gas measuring instruments (CH4, CO2, O3, NOx, NOy permanently installed, further instruments available) able to measure either directly in the atmospheric component, or via a membrane for water side dissolved gases.

Here, we present the first results from the ASIBIA sea-ice chamber, focussing on the physical development of first-year sea-ice and show the future plans for the facility over the coming years. The ASIBIA sea-ice facility is a key component of a 5-year ERC funded program with a long-term goal to develop parameterisations for local to global scale models based on experimental results.