PI: Nick Hughes
Project Scientist: Dr. Jeremy Wilkinson

This project has been accepted as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Announcement of Opportunity for the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008.

Significant changes have occurred in the marine environment of the Nordic Seas (Greenland, Icelandic, Norwegian (GIN) and Barents Seas) over the past decade and accelerated change is predicted with potential impacts on global thermohaline circulation (THC). Sea ice extent has declined (Wilkinson and Wadhams, 2005) and there is evidence of increased flow of Atlantic water into the region as well as increased flow of low salinity water from the Arctic into the GIN Seas in summer. This project seeks to monitor the region taking advantage of new satellite sensors that have recently become available and the fieldwork campaigns planned for the IPY and beyond.

An exciting capability is the ability to measure sea surface salinity (SSS) through satellite L-band radar interferometry. The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite, scheduled for launch in early 2007, will for the first time be able to map salinity at low resolution. This project aims to extend the coverage of this sensor to higher latitudes where the decreasing sensitivity of the instrument to colder surface temperatures has to be overcome. The data from SMOS will also be used to check for whether it has the ability to classify sea ice particularly in areas of new ice formation.

To improve the results from SMOS at high latitudes data from other satellites will be acquired to provide additional information on parameters that may affect SSS. Sea surface temperature (SST) will be acquired through the thermal imaging capabilities of the MODIS sensors on the Aqua and Terra satellites. As the region is prone to cloud cover SST will also be mapped through use of the passive microwave sensors (SSM/I and AMSR-E) that will be used to map sea cover on the northern boundaries of the region. Data from active microwave sensors will provide information on ocean surface characteristics, wind and waves. Regular mapping will be performed using Envisat ASAR GMM with targeting of any features of interest, such as localised regions of deep water formation, using the Envisat high resolution modes and ALOS PALSAR.

Data from the southern boundary of the monitoring region will be validated using a Ferrybox system installed on the ferry “Norrøna” operating between Scotland and Iceland. This will also provide information on flows in and out of the region through ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) measurements. Additional validation data within the region will be undertaken by cruises that form part of the UK Oceans 2025 programme.