Summary

OASIS (Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack)

Summary

1.    Introduction

OASIS is an international multi-disciplinary effort to study Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack Interactions in Polar Regions.  The specific focus is on the study of the impact of Air-Surface Interactions and chemical exchange between the title reservoirs in Polar Regions.  OASIS will address how these processes affect atmospheric chemical composition, and control the input of toxic chemicals to polar environments.  As the nature and extent of snow and ice cover is changing, OASIS will assess the associated impact on, and by, climate change, and the human and ecosystem impacts of air-surface exchanges of chemical species.

 OASIS will be linked to a number of international organizations and activities, including AMAP, and the IGBP programs IGAC (International Global Atmospheric Chemistry) under the AICI (Air Ice Chemical Interactions) activity, and SOLAS (Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study).  An important part of OASIS is expected to take place during the upcoming International Polar Year 2007/09 (IPY).  The international OASIS community has submitted to the ICSU/WMO Joint Committee a proposal for an OASISI-IPY effort. 

 Through IPY OASIS will co-evolve with other international activities, such as AICI-IPY;  ITCT-Arctic; ISAPIE, CMRWA, SANTAS, and others.  OASIS focuses specifically on the title interactions on top of a (seasonally) frozen ocean, as they are found in the Arctic basin or surrounding Antarctica. 

 This document summarizes briefly both the Science Plan and the Implementation Plan.  The purpose of the Science Plan is to outline and prioritize the science issues and proposed approaches that will lead to OASIS Implementation.   

2.    OASIS Mission Statement

Determine the importance of OASIS chemical, physical and biological exchange processes on tropospheric chemistry, the cryosphere, and the marine environment, and their feedback mechanisms in the context of a changing climate.

3.    Five OASIS Overarching Scientific Questions

I.       What is the nature of feedback loops between OASIS exchange processes and global climate change?

• Climate is changing in Polar Regions faster than for the planet as a whole due to feedbacks related to the changing Polar Ocean surface. 
• Numerous atmospheric trace species are significantly influenced by physical and photochemical processes on snow and ice surfaces.
• Predicting the future state of the Polar atmosphere and its implications for a changing climate will require understanding of OASIS exchange and its impacts.

 II.      What are the fundamental physical, chemical, and biologically-mediated chemical exchange processes involving halogens, DMS, NOx, O₃, VOCs, POPs, Hg, S-constituents, particulate matter, and CO₂ in the Polar regions?

The following cartoon summarizes the OASIS exchange processes. 

III.    What is the relationship of OASIS exchange processes with the marine cryosphere (ice/snow) and the underlying Polar Ocean?

IV.     What is the relationship of OASIS exchange processes with the chemistry, physics and biology of airborne gases, aerosol particles and cloud/snow formation?

V.      Environmental pollution: what is the impact on, and by, OASIS exchange and the role of long term changes?

 We are eager to expand to a coordinated Polar research effort and identify further collaborative connections and opportunities.  The research envisaged is of a multidisciplinary nature: the science involved necessarily spans many aspects of Polar Studies, e.g. biology, oceanography, atmospheric physics, chemistry, and climate, ice physics, human dimensions, hydrology, biogeo-chemistry and others.

Intensive research campaigns, establishment or enhancement of long-term polar observatories, fundamental studies and modeling aimed at developing a predictive understanding of the Polar Air Surface System and Climate interactions are the four main goals of OASIS.

4.    OASIS Implementation

Many of the scientific objectives laid out in the Science Plan, although diverse in scope, can be simultaneously pursued from a limited number of types of logistics bases of operation.  The Implementation Plan is thus organized according to logistical and technical approaches to the Science Plan issues:

Arctic Ocean Chemical Measurement Buoys

An Arctic ocean wide surface (buoy) network in collaboration with the IABP, NPEO,  and AOOS programs.  This network will develop new chemical buoys, and will co-locate with existing buoys.  It will involve existing Arctic surface stations.

Icebreakers and Associated Icecamps, Stand-Alone Icecamps and Ice Islands

A year long ice camp study will be conducted from an ice breaker that will be frozen well removed from the coastal zone in the Arctic ice sheet at a location yet to be determined.  Possible locations include the Beauford Sea gyre and the North Pole.  In addition OASIS will endeavour to participate in assorted polar research cruises, and temporary ice island studies such as organized by AARI, the US Navy, and the NPEO program.

Aircraft and Other Airborne Platforms

Airborne platforms of various sizes and capabilities can play critical roles during OASIS.  Four classes of airborne platforms will be useful for these studies:  (1) tethered systems operated by individual investigators located at the fixed stations, (2) miniature autonomous aerial vehicles such as the Aerosondes and helicopters operated by small teams of investigators, (3) small (piloted) environmental research aircraft (SERAs), and (4) medium-lift, multi-investigator aircraft. 

Instrument Development Needs

The Science Plan calls for measurement techniques for key species that are currently not accessible or not yet suitable for Arctic Ocean deployment at sub-ppt sensitivity. (e.g. for molecular halogens, in-situ halogen oxides, halogen atoms, HOBr/HOCl, XONO₂, XNO₂, etc.).  Many techniques have never been deployed in the Polar Regions (e.g. OH, HO2, AMS, etc.).  Fast response methods (~1s) enable us to measure surface fluxes; they do not yet exist for most of the species of interest.  Development of low power, automated, autonomous, reliable instrumentation for deployment in remote hostile Polar Regions, and finally development of non-intrusive methods are priorities for OASIS.

Connections to Other Programs and Long-Term Coastal Measurement Sites

Existing Arctic stations enable tracking of long range transport of chemicals and modeling (support of trajectory studies).  OASIS results will improve the understanding of atmospheric chemistry time series recorded at individual observatories. Due to easy access, existing stations such as Ny-Ålesund, are ideal for testing of newly developed instrument setups and experiments designed for use in the central Arctic.

Support from Remote Sensing Platforms

The effects of OASIS exchange processes on global climate can only be detected by appropriate modeling and long-term observations.  Aircraft and satellite measurements of the surface and atmosphere are necessary to extrapolate the local field measurements to a larger scale.  This includes sea ice concentration, multi-year ice concentration, sea ice drift, sea ice and snow thickness, information about thin ice types, the melt pond coverage, etc.

Laboratory Studies and Modeling Activities

Fundamental studies of the physics and chemistry of ice over broad temperature ranges are needed.  For example, one of the key ice science problems include the physical and chemical characterization of the ‘quasi liquid layer’ or disordered layer that exists on the surface of ice and snow crystals over broad temperature and pressure ranges. 

3D models will be developed to simulate the many different environments and address many of the science questions. 

A special OASIS modeling / lab workshop will be held in September 2005 in Toronto to address specific questions and methods relevant to the Arctic Ocean work.

Other Aspects of OASIS Implementation

Connections between these and other activities are discussed in each section as appropriate.  The IP also discusses data management and QA issues and activities, funding approaches, outreach and educational activities, and broader impacts in general.  This IP will present a timeline of anticipated events and objectives, and a discussion of some of the anticipated outputs and publications.

5. Timeline OASIS

 (1) Preparations include field sites, platforms, instruments, etc…

6.    OASIS Coordination

OASIS is currently coordinated via the OASIS coordination office, situated at and financed by C.N.R. – IIA, Rome.  For reasons of international collaboration and cross-disciplinary outreach the coordinator should have a second office in North America. 

www.OASIShome.net , harry@iia.cnr.it, (39) 06.906.72.262, fax (39) 06.906.72.660

7.    OASIS Executive Committee

OASIS is directed by an Executive Committee (EC).  The OASIS EC membership is as follows: