Ice Charts from National Ice Services

In order to support navigation in the ice and help plan research activities, not only satellite data, but also the ice charts provided by national ice services are essential. These charts summarise the results of comprehensive analyses of satellite and model-based data, which are visually conducted by ice analysts. Throughout the MOSAiC expedition, ice charts will be provided by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St Petersburg (AARI). As a rule, new charts will be made available on this site every week or every two weeks, and are based on satellite and model data from the previous week. Analyses will be prepared for the ice conditions in the direct vicinity of RV Polarstern, and for the routes used by her resupply icebreakers.

The ice information will be presented in keeping with the established international standard. You’ll find a detailed description of the information provided here (source: WMO). For more information on how these ice charts are prepared, please click here.

References:

Sea-Ice Information Services in the World, Third edition, WMO-No. 574, World Meteorological Organization, p. 80, 2006. (accessed 22 August 2019)

Ice chart colour code standard, WMO/TD-No. 1215, JCOMM Technical Report No. 24, World Meteorological Organization ,p. 11, 2004. (accessed 22 August 2019)

The first analyses will be available on this site from mid-September.

Contact person at the AWI: Dr Thomas Krumpen

Contact person at the AARI: Dr Julia Sokolova (j.sokolova (at) aari.ru)