ECV-Ice: Measuring Essential Climate Variables in Sea Ice-SCOR Working Group 152

Observations over recent decades suggest that sea ice plays a significant role in global biogeochemical cycles, providing an active biogeochemical interface at the ocean-atmosphere boundary. However, a pressing need exists to perform methodological intercalibration experiments in order to obtain reliable measurements of basic biogeochemical properties, including many of the Essential Climate Variables of the Global Climate
Observing System. With newly emerging techniques, and pressed by the rapid changes in sea ice, the time has come to evaluate and improve our approach to study sea-ice systems. In 2016, the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) launched Working Group 152 on Measuring Essential Climate Variables in Sea Ice (ECV-Ice). This working group will synthesize past intercalibration exercises and design and coordinate new experiments. Our ultimate goal is to provide the international community with standardized protocols for
processing sea-ice samples and collecting data for key variables, including CO2 partial pressure, nutrients, algal biomass and production, and gas exchange. We will also establish the effectiveness of new techniques to address sea-ice heterogeneity (often referred to as “patchiness”). These tasks will directly benefit the longterm community goal of understanding the response of polar marine environments to ongoing climate change.