Saturday Talk 3/31/2012

[Nok Acker]

 

 "Water on Ice: The Wonderful World of

Sea Ice Melt Ponds"

WHO:             Chris Polashenski    

                            

WHEN:         Saturday, March 31, 2012, at 1:30 pm

 WHERE:      Barrow Arctic Research Center

(new science building)

 

ALL AGES WELCOME

Need a ride? A van will be in front of the Hospital door C at 1:00

 And then at Tuzzy Library at 1:15 pm to

take people to and from the presentation.

 

HOST:                  Nokinba Acker, BASC

 

As spring arrives and the sun climbs high in the Arctic sky, snow-covered sea ice begins to melt. The meltwater pools on the surface of the ice into formations called melt ponds, changing the way the ice reflects sunlight and creating a nearly infinite array of different shades of blue on the surface. The melt ponds that form are highly dynamic, changing in area by as much as 30% per day, with important implications for the absorption of solar energy and the melt of the ice. This presentation will discuss work conducted on sea ice near Barrow, AK that collected unique field measurements of albedo, pond area, ice properties, and meltwater balance and how these observations are being used to better explain the formation and changes in melt ponds. The work is helping to improve efforts to predict the future of the Arctic sea ice and global climate by being incorporated into global climate models.

Brought to you by the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium

SCHOOLYARD PROJECT

For more information call Nokinba Acker at 852-4881 or email – nok....@arcticscience.org