Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Harvard College received a $431,327 Project Grant award effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, from the National Science Foundation's Division of Polar Programs (CFDA 47.078) to conduct collaborative research on sea ice extremes and polar climate dynamics. The research will develop and implement improved computational methods to represent floe size and thickness distribution (FSD) and floe-aware boundary layer processes in a leading community Earth System Model. Specifically, the investigators will examine how individual sea ice floe dynamics influence air-sea energy exchange, ocean mixing, and short-term sea ice loss events driven by storm-generated waves. The project will also investigate whether localized rapid sea ice loss triggered by FSD-related processes can initiate large-scale, longer-term Arctic changes and influence extreme cold weather events over North America.

The deliverables include an enhanced Earth System Model with improved floe-based physics representations and new understanding of coupled Arctic-mid-latitude climate teleconnections that will strengthen predictive capabilities for weather extremes. The research supports workforce development through training of graduate students, undergraduate researchers participating in term and summer projects, and high school summer interns. By advancing the fundamental understanding and modeling of sea ice floe-sensitive processes, this work will contribute to more accurate climate projections and improved prediction of extreme weather events with significant economic and community impacts.