The Use of Ice Surface Temperature Observations in a Coupled Ocean and Sea ice model for the Arctic Ocean

Remote sensed surface temperatures of ocean and sea ice is of great interest as this is one of the factors that govern the exchange of heat at the surface. Whereas remote sensing of sea surface temperatures is a relatively well established technique ice surface temperatures (IST) are at a more novel stage.

This presentation will discuss and analyze the difference between satellite IST products from the Metop_A, Modis and IASI instruments, 2 meter temperatures from a numerical weather prediction model and surface temperatures of the sea ice as seen from a coupled ocean and sea ice model. The ground truth will be based on infrared radiometer observations from the sea ice and buoys that drift in the Arctic Ocean and measures temperatures from the ice surface through the ice and the top of the ocean. As both the model and buoys provide a temperature profile of the sea ice it enables a comparison of the temperature profile through the sea ice based on these.

In addition to the improved understanding of the temperatures at the surface these observations can potentially be assimilated into the sea ice model. The potential and the limitation of this will also be discussed.

The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) runs an operational coupled ocean and sea ice model (HYCOM+CICE+ESMF) based on a model system mainly developed by the Naval Research Lab. This runs in a regional configuration that covers the Arctic and the Atlantic oceans to 20 degrees south of equator and it is forced by ERA-INTERIM in hindcast mode and the operational ECMWF in forecast mode. At the same time DMI produces daily remote sensed IST maps based on remote sensing of the ice surface.