TOPAZ data by Cryosphere Today regions (from Nevin's blog)

[XemaSab]

http://neven1.typepad.com/.a/6a0133f03a1e37970b014e5fa79813970c-pi

During last fall's break in the PIOMAS data (nowhere near as long as this one), I had a thought: "TOPAZ has all of the information needed to compute area, extent, and volume." I wrote to NERSC, asking whether they'd be willing to calculate that information and print it at the bottom of the maps. I still haven't heard back. Last month, during the long hiatus in the PIOMAS data, I decided to download the TOPAZ data and compute it myself.

Their model is really quite cool, they track all the way from the Bering Strait to Portugal at a resolution of 12.5 km and keep track of the ocean depth for each grid cell. In addition to ice concentration and thickness (the only ones I needed for my purposes) the model tracks temperature, salinity, and motion for the ice, the air, and for the water at 11 different depths.

Every week or so, they run the simulation against any new input data that they have, resulting in a prediction for the next several days. The result is data for almost every day since May 22, 2007 (with the last 10 days subject to revision). By downloading the entire dataset, I was able to calculate Area, Extent, and Volume:

http://neven1.typepad.com/.a/6a0133f03a1e37970b014e5fa78eaf970c-pi

http://neven1.typepad.com/blog/2011/03/topaz-data-by-cryosphere-today-regions.html

[XemaSab]

1. Note well that the total volume predicts an ice-free arctic in 12 years

FOR WINTER. :wow:

Though Team Xema thinks that's optimistic. :D

[GliderGuider]

2. OK. That's fucking unbelievable.

A 40% loss if peak ice volume in the last 4 years? WTF?

:scared:

[XemaSab]

3. It's so fucking unbelievable

it should be in Penthouse Forum. :o

[GliderGuider]

4. I'm sure I have no idea what you mean...

But I could tell you my story about the Inuit woman and her daughter that I met on a tiny shrinking ice floe in the Beaufort Sea...

:hide:

[XemaSab]

5. Let me guess:

You never thought it would happen to you. :P