IASC Atmospheric-Climate Working Group

Communicating Arctic ScienceNancy N. Soreide, NOAA/PMEL, Seattle, WA; and J. E. Overland, J. A. Richter-Menge, H. Eicken, H. Wiggins, and J. Calder12

NOAA Arctic Theme PageComprehensive resourceEssays for the publicPhotos & videosFAQData, forecasts ScienceAnnouncements & featuresAudiencescientists, students, teachers, decision makers and the general public PopularTop of google search results for arctic3

www.arctic.noaa.gov3

Arctic Photos and Videos4

Shipboard workLive web camsAnimals

YouTube videosGeneral Information5

www.arctic.noaa.gov2011 Arctic Report Card6Timely information on current state of the Arctic

Updated annually

Essays on 23 key topics

Prepared by international team of 121 scientists from 14 countries

Peer reviewed

www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard67

YouTube video summarizes 2011 status

- Succinct summary- Accessible from computers and mobile phones- Easily embedded in web pages by media, bloggers, science sites

YouTube video78

Whats new in 2011?

Persistent warming has caused dramatic changes in the Arctic Ocean and the ecosystem it supports.

reduced sea ice extent and thicknessfreshening of the upper oceanimpacts increased biological productivityloss of habitat for walrus and polar bearsHeadlines89

5 chaptersStatus indicated by traffic lightHeadline for each chapterEssays provide details for topics in each chapterNavigation brings all information to top levelBy chapterChapters: Atmosphere, Sea Ice & Ocean, Marine & Terrestrial Ecosystems, Hydrology & Terrestrial CryosphereStatus: Significant change or- some change9Atmosphere chapter10

StatusSignificant change

Headline:Higher temperatures in the Arctic and unusually lower temperatures in some low latitude regions are linked to global shifts in atmospheric wind patterns.

Essays: Temperature & CloudsCarbon dioxide & methaneOzone & UV radiation10Atmosphere chapter summary11

Atmosphere chapter: essays12

VideoIf you play the video, then go to slide 21 to resume12Sea Ice & Ocean chapter13

StatusSignificant change

Headline:A shift in the Arctic Ocean system since 2007 is indicated by the decline in ice age and summer extent, and the warmer, fresher upper ocean.. SLIDES 13-20 could be replaced by ARC video

13Sea Ice & Ocean chapter summary14

Essays: Sea IceWind-driven ocean circulationOcean temperature & salinityOcean acidificationEssays on left navigation panel: Sea Ice, Wind-driven ocean circulation, Ocean temperature & salinity, Ocean acidification14Marine ecosystems chapter15

StatusSome change

Headline:Since 1998, biological productivity at the base of the food chain has increased by 20%. Polar bears and walrus continue to lose habitat in Alaskan waters. 15Marine ecosystems chapter summary16

Essays: Ocean biogeophysicsPrimary productivityBenthic organismsPolar bearsWalruses & SealsPacific Arctic Marine Ecology16Terrestrial ecosystems chapter17

StatusSome change

Headline:Increased greenness of tundra vegetation in Eurasia and North America linked to increase in open water and warmer land temperatures in coastal regions. 17

Terrestrial ecosystems chapter summary18Essays: VegetationCaribou & reindeer18Hydrology & Terrestrial Cryosphere chapter19

StatusSignificant change

Headline:Continued dramatic loss of ice sheet and glacier mass, reduced snow extent and duration, and increasing permafrost temperatures are linked to higher Arctic air temperatures.19

Hydrology & Terrestrial Cryosphere chapter summary20Essays: SnowGlaciers & Ice CapsGreenland ice sheetPermafrostLake IceRiver dischargeRiver biogeochemistryPhotograph of an Arctic researcher and his snowmobile during the 2011 Arctic Observing Network (Snownet) project in Alaska. Image Credit: Mark Serreze, NSIDC. From NSIDC photo & Image Gallery. Photograph of an Arctic researcher and his snowmobile during the 2011 Arctic Observing Network (Snownet) project in Alaska. Image Credit: Mark Serreze, NSIDC. From NSIDC photo & Image Gallery. 20Sea Ice OutlookCommunity-wide summary of expected September sea ice extentMonthly reports throughout summerSynthesize community-wide estimatesScientific rationale for range in estimatesNot formal predictions21

www.arcus.org/search/seaiceoutlookRESUME here after playing the video21Sea Ice Outlook26 groups participated

Sept 2011 minimum was 4.6 million km2 Outlooks based on May data averaged 4.7 million km2 Outlooks based on June data averaged 4.6 million km2

Good performance of outlooks due in part to year-to-year persistence of ice conditions

2011 minimum depended more on initial late spring conditions than extreme weather conditions22

Future of Arctic Climate & Global Impacts23

Summarizes recent important Arctic science results

for a broader audience, beyond the scientific literaturewww.arctic.noaa.gov/futureFuture of Arctic Climate & Global Impacts24

Using YouTube to communicate scienceEngages the viewerEasily discoverableClear storylineAccessibleYouTube servers Supports embedding, smart phonesYouTube searchesClosed captioning25

www.youtube.com/noaapmel

Communicating Arctic ScienceNOAA Arctic Theme Page comprehensive resourcewww.arctic.noaa.gov

Arctic Report Card 2011 latest statuswww.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard

Sea Ice Outlook - estimating September sea ice minimum www.arcus.org/search/seaiceoutlook

Future of Arctic Climate and Global Impacts latest sciencewww.arctic.noaa.gov/future/

YouTube - effective science communicationwww.youtube.com/noaapmel

26Hazan Plateau, http://www.geo.umass.edu/climate/hazen/field99.html26