Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate

Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate
Name	Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate
Abbrev	MOSAiC
Established	2019
Location	Arctic Ocean
Lead	[Not linked]
Participants	Alfred Wegener Institute, Max Planck Society, University of Cambridge, University of Alaska Fairbanks, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency
Website	[Not shown]

Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate is a year‑long international research expedition that conducted an unprecedented trans‑Arctic drift in the central Arctic Ocean beginning in 2019. The project united polar institutes, oceanographers, atmospheric scientists, cryosphere experts and modelers from institutions such as the Alfred Wegener Institute, University of Cambridge, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Max Planck Society, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Aeronautics and Space Administration to study coupled processes affecting Arctic climate. MOSAiC's scale, logistics and multidisciplinary scope positioned it alongside historic efforts like the Fram expedition and the International Polar Year initiatives.

Overview

MOSAiC deployed a central icebreaker and a distributed array of tents, towers, buoys and autonomous platforms to follow sea ice drift across the Arctic Basin, building on prior campaigns including the Arctic Ocean Experiment and studies from the International Arctic Buoy Programme. The mission was coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute with contributions from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, National Science Foundation, European Commission programs, and agencies such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and European Space Agency. Participants included researchers from universities and institutes like Stockholm University, University of Toronto, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Objectives and Scientific Goals

The expedition aimed to observe atmosphere‑ice‑ocean interactions that drive Arctic amplification, improve parameterizations in models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and constrain remote sensing products from Copernicus Programme satellites and sensors on Landsat, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, MODIS and ICESat-2. Specific goals included quantifying surface energy balance components studied in contexts like Arctic amplification and comparing in situ fluxes to reanalyses such as ERA5 and model outputs from centers like European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and NOAA GFDL. MOSAiC sought to resolve processes at scales relevant to observational programs like the International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere and to inform assessments by bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Arctic Council.

Platform Design and Instrumentation

The expedition used the heavy icebreaker that served as a drifting observatory, operating alongside distributed measurement sites including ice camps, autonomous buoys, profiler moorings, and unmanned aerial vehicles from groups such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Helmholtz Association. Instrument suites included eddy covariance towers influenced by methods developed at NOAA ESRL and Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, meteorological sensors calibrated to standards from World Meteorological Organization, oceanographic CTD profilers and ADCPs employed in projects like the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, snow radar and ground‑penetrating radar hardware comparable to systems used by British Antarctic Survey and optical sensors cross‑referenced with MODIS and VIIRS products. Autonomous platforms included gliders associated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and autonomous surface vehicles similar to those deployed by Centre for Ocean and Ice programs.

Operations and Drift Campaigns

MOSAiC began when the icebreaker escorted an ice floe in autumn 2019 and established the central observatory, following a planned drift trajectory influenced by Arctic circulation features known from Arctic Oscillation and Transpolar Drift Stream studies. Operations coordinated logistics among national polar programs including Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Norwegian Polar Institute, Canadian Ice Service and United States Coast Guard. Seasonal campaigns encompassed winter ice physics and spring melt process studies with airborne remote sensing sorties flown by platforms like Polar 6 and research aircraft from National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Operation IceBridge. Data management followed FAIR principles and integrated into data systems used by World Data Center for Glaciology and the PANGAEA repository.

Key Findings and Contributions

MOSAiC produced high‑resolution datasets documenting unusual low ice thickness, snow distribution, and heat flux variability that refined understanding of processes contributing to Arctic amplification and trends reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Analyses revealed complex feedbacks between melt ponds, albedo evolution and cloud properties with implications for predictive skill in models developed at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and Met Office and for sea ice projections in studies by NOAA GFDL and NCAR. Results informed satellite retrieval algorithms for missions like ICESat-2 and Sentinel-3 and supported paleoclimate comparisons made with records from the Greenland ice sheet and the Svalbard region. MOSAiC also advanced methodologies in autonomous observing systems used by groups such as Office of Naval Research funded programs.

Collaborations and Funding

The expedition was a multinational consortium involving institutes including the Alfred Wegener Institute, Max Planck Society, University of Cambridge, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and national agencies such as German Aerospace Center, National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and European Commission research frameworks. Funding combined national polar program budgets, competitive grants from bodies like the European Research Council and in‑kind support from polar institutes including Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and logistical assets provided by the Kawasaki Heavy Industries‑operated icebreaker sector and international icebreaker collaborations exemplified by interactions with the United States Coast Guard.

Legacy and Future Directions

Data products and methodological advances from MOSAiC have been integrated into long‑term observing strategies championed by the Arctic Council and programs such as the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks, informing future campaigns like enhanced seasonal observing arrays and international model intercomparison projects with groups such as Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. The expedition set a precedent for collaborative Arctic research involving polar institutes, space agencies, and oceanographic centers including European Space Agency, NASA and NOAA, shaping policy discussions at forums like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and contributing to capacity building within Arctic research communities across Russia, Norway, Canada and United States.

Category:Arctic expeditions