Project Summary
The ARTofMELT of expedition took place in May and June 2023 in the sea ice of the northern Fram Strait an targeted the impacts of atmospheric warm air intrusions, so-called atmospheric rivers, on the start of the melt season, hence the name: Atmospheric Rivers and The onset of Arctic MELT - ARTofMELT. The background is one of the most visible effects of rapid climate change in the Arctic; the decreasing sea ice, especially at the end of summer. Sea ice goes through a substantial seasonal cycle and how much of it that remains at summer’s end is partly due to how long the summer melt is. Therefore the “shoulder seasons”, transitions from freezing to melting and back to freezing are important and ARTofMELT was motivated by trying to understand what atmospheric, cryospheric and oceaniv processes that govern the melt onset, including its timing. While the start of the autumn freeze is relatively well documented from scientific observations, the spring onset of the melt is not due to very few science expeditions during winter and spring. ARTofMELT targeted this period, with interdisciplinary observations covering the upper ocean, the sea ice and the atmosphere.
Date and Location
April 2025 I Vienna, Austria
IASC Working Group funding the Project:
AWG
Project Leaders:
Michael Tjernström (Stockholm University, Sweden)
Year funded by IASC:
2024