The proposed research will advance scientific understanding associated with multiple NASA earth science goals and objectives. The work aligns closely with the cryospheric science proposal call in…

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $464,616.00 grant to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Grants and Contracts Administration Division, operating as Grants & Contracts. This research grant will advance scientific understanding of sea ice processes, sea ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions, and their impact on the global climate, aligning with NASA's Earth Science goals. The work supports the Cryospheric Science proposal call in the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2023 program. The project will produce new analyses of Nares Strait ice cover to provide baselines for follow-on studies of sea ice conditions in this region. This grant does not have a set-aside designation, as UAF is a public university. The award contributes to UAF's extensive federal research portfolio, which includes contracts and grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Defense.

The proposed research will advance scientific understanding associated with multiple NASA earth science goals and objectives. The work aligns closely with the cryospheric science proposal call in roses 2023 that aims use remote sensing data to improve understanding of sea ICE processes, sea ICE-ocean-atmosphere interactions, and their impact on the global climate. The work is closely aligned with NASA earth science goals outlined in NASA 2022 strategic plan to advance knowledge of earth as a system to meet the challenges of environmental change by applying understanding of natural processes and their interactions to provide objective information on current changes. More broadly, the project will produce new analyses of nares strait ICE cover that will be shared with the arctic research community, providing baselines for follow-on studies of sea ICE conditions in this region. Moving forward, realistic estimates of annual sea ICE mass budgets as well as improvements in seasonal forecasting will rely on properly constraining sea ICE changes and pinpointing associated atmospheric and oceanic forcings in these confined regions previously ICE-choked by remnant multiyear ICE.