Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 9.9.
Simulated mean ice velocity and mean annual sea level pressure for (a) 1979-
1988; (b) 1989-1996; anomaly fields of ice velocity based on the difference (c) between
the 1979-1988 mean and the 1979-1996 mean, and (d) between the 1989-1996 mean and
the 1979-1996 mean. Vectors are given at every sixteenth grid point with contours of sea
level pressure given at every 1 hPa (from Zhang et al.,
2000
, by permission of AMS).
sonar records (Rothrock et al.,
1999
) represents a redistribution of thick ice to along
the North American coast.
The Arctic Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (AOMIP) was initiated in
2001 (Steele et al.,
2001
) an international effort to understand the behavior of dif-
ferent models under realistic forcing. A first five-year AOMIP research cycle was
completed in March 2007. A second cycle focused on validation and improve-
ment of Arctic Ocean models in a coordinated fashion, investigating variability of
the Arctic Ocean and sea ice at seasonal to decadal time scales, and identifying
mechanisms responsible for observed changes. Many different models and model-
ing groups have participated in AOMIP. As with any MIP, it is necessary to force
and validate all models in as similar a manner as possible. AOMIP has collected
and created a variety of standardized model forcing data sets including bathymetry,
river runoff, precipitation, and winds. AOMIP has subsequently evolved into the
Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis. Some key insights from
