Preliminary plan

In 2015 the ASP team will organize a field study at Station Nord and use the new the Villum Research Station. In the spring we will set up a field camp near the ice edge making it possible to study atmosphere, sea ice and ocean processes with special focus on the exchange fluxes between them. It has not yet been decided where the camp will be placed, but we will most likely place it on one of the small islands off Station North. This way we can make sure that people and equipment will not accidentally drift off to the Arctic Ocean. The idea is to study various exchange processes related to different sea ice types and open water as we will have access to drifting ice floes exiting the Arctic Ocean. Here we will use airboats and perhaps hovercrafts and an ultralight aircraft to reach drifting sea ice and open water. The aircraft is planned to be used for greenhouse gas flux measurements over the ice and open water as well as on land. Mapping of the bathymetry will also be undertaken as well as transects to the inner parts of the fjords and to glacier regions. We plan to deploy various types of ocean moorings, AUVs and at the same time collect data in the air by mobile weather stations and and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Focus of our work will be atmospheric chemistry, meteorology, glaciology, oceanography, biogeochemistry, microbiology, biology and geology. We also plan activities throughout the summer in more open-water conditions. Possibility for terrestrial and limnic work are also planned although we have not yet decided the logistics and the focus areas. Plans will unfold as scientists are reporting in their ideas for joint research.

Furthermore activities will be carried out at Villum Research Facilities at Station Nord. Here the processes for particle formation and particle growth will be studied. The study will besides being an ASP activity also be a contribution to the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) program and the Nordic Centre of Excellence CRAICC and DEFROST.