ICESCAPE

ICESCAPE
Name	ICESCAPE
Period	2010–2014
Region	Arctic Ocean, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea
Lead agency	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Partners	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Objectives	study of sea ice, phytoplankton, biogeochemistry, optics

ICESCAPE ICESCAPE was a multi-year Arctic research program focused on how changing sea ice and warming Arctic Ocean conditions affect marine ecosystems, biogeochemistry, and optical properties. The program conducted coordinated shipboard, airborne, and satellite-linked investigations involving institutions such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and University of Maryland. ICESCAPE integrated observations with remote sensing from platforms tied to missions like Landsat, MODIS, SeaWiFS, and ICESat.

Overview

ICESCAPE operated in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea sectors of the Arctic Ocean during multiple summer cruises and airborne surveys. The campaign addressed links among sea ice, stratification, light penetration, phytoplankton dynamics, and carbon cycling under scenarios of seasonal and long-term change tracked by programs such as Arctic Council initiatives and datasets from National Snow and Ice Data Center. Field operations coordinated with research vessels, aircraft from NASA Langley Research Center and logistical support from United States Coast Guard cutters and bases like Barrow, Alaska.

Objectives and Scientific Goals

ICESCAPE’s core goals included quantifying how retreating sea ice alters underwater light fields and stimulates phytoplankton blooms, assessing impacts on marine food webs and biogeochemical fluxes measured against baselines from campaigns like BASIN, ICEX, and observations tied to International Polar Year. Objectives targeted changes in primary production, dissolved inorganic carbon uptake, and optical signatures for satellite retrieval algorithms used by missions such as Aqua (satellite), Terra (satellite), and Suomi NPP. The program aimed to produce datasets to inform modeling efforts at centers like National Center for Atmospheric Research, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Field Campaigns and Methods

Field campaigns combined shipboard transects on research vessels, helicopter and fixed-wing airborne remote sensing, and autonomous platforms including gliders and moorings developed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Standard methods included hydrographic profiling with CTD rosettes used in studies by Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, pigment analyses via high-performance liquid chromatography as practiced at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, and particulate organic carbon measurements following protocols from National Ocean Service. Optical radiometry and hyperspectral sensors were deployed to link in situ measurements with satellite radiometers on Aqua (satellite) and Sentinel-3. Sampling design leveraged stratified transects across frontal zones influenced by Bering Strait inflow and freshwater signals similar to those studied by ArcticNet and Bering Ecosystem Study.

Key Findings and Publications

Key findings reported shifts in timing and magnitude of phytoplankton blooms linked to reduced ice cover, enhanced light penetration, and altered stratification with implications for carbon export and trophic transfer noted in literature from Nature Geoscience, Science, and Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. Publications documented variable responses among microplankton, nanoplankton, and picoplankton communities echoing taxonomic work from Smithsonian Institution collections and genetic analyses comparable to studies at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Results informed improvements to ocean color algorithms used by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and contributed to assessments in reports by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and policy-oriented summaries prepared for the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. Peer-reviewed outputs appeared in venues including Limnology and Oceanography, Geophysical Research Letters, and Progress in Oceanography.

Instruments and Platforms

ICESCAPE employed a suite of instrumentation: hyperspectral radiometers and spectroradiometers akin to those developed at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; flow cytometers and HPLC systems comparable to setups at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and acoustic Doppler current profilers similar to deployments by Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Platforms included research vessels analogous to RV Knorr operations, remotely piloted aircraft systems like those used by NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, autonomous underwater gliders from University of Washington programs, and moorings instrumented using technology from WHOI and NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

Collaborations and Funding

The program was funded and coordinated primarily by National Aeronautics and Space Administration with partnerships and co-funding from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, university sponsors including University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Washington, University of Rhode Island, and international collaborators from programs such as ArcticNet and European Space Agency research initiatives. Collaborative governance included data-sharing agreements with repositories like National Centers for Environmental Information and integration into synthesis efforts coordinated with International Arctic Science Committee and regional stakeholders including communities in Alaska.

Category:Arctic science