Weather Balloons, Wave Gliders and other

Hitchhikers

Kevin R. Wood

James E. Overland

Sigrid A. Salo

Nicholas A. Bond

Anomaly 1990-99 Anomaly 2002-11

SLP

SAT

Vector

Wind

Climatology (NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis)

-30

0

30

60

1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

N m

-210

3

Year

a

b

c

°C

Mackenzie Delta

Mackenzie Delta

ALASKA

ALASKA

Impact of changing a wind field in the Beaufort Sea

-30

0

30

60

1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

N m

-210

3

Year

a

b

c

°C

Mackenzie Delta

Mackenzie Delta

ALASKA

ALASKA

Impact of Δ sea ice & heat on atmospheric circulation

Weather balloon

transects to sample

MABL

Wave Gliders & other

automatons

Onboard wx / rad.

Arctic Wave Glider (PMEL/Liquid Robotics)

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

-4.0

-2.0

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

210.0 220.0 230.0 240.0 250.0 260.0

Arctic Wave Glider Data

2011 Deployment

Wav

e G

lid

er

1

Te

mp

era

ture

Wav

e G

lider 2

Te

mp

era

ture

Day

Red = 0.5 m Blue = 6.0 m

2008 Plume Explosion )

Only MODIS sequence available since 2000 )

Mackenzie River plume (July 19, 2011)

MODIS true color

Mackenzie River plume (Sept. 6, 2002)

MODIS true color