The Ocean – Atmosphere – Sea Ice – Snowpack (OASIS) program was created in 2004 as an international, multidisciplinary group to study chemical and physical exchange processes among the title reservoirs, focussing on the impact on tropospheric chemistry and climate, as well as on the surface/biosphere and feedbacks in the Arctic.
Sea ice is undergoing rapid change in the Arctic, transitioning from a perennial or multi-year ice (MYI) pack to a thinner, seasonal first-year ice (FYI) pack, thereby transforming into a more Antarctic-like system. Such changes in critical interfaces will likely have large impacts system wide – from habitat loss to dramatic changes in heat and water vapor fluxes to changes in atmospheric chemistry. OASIS scientists are deeply involved in studies aimed at understanding interactions among components of the Ocean – Atmosphere – Sea Ice – Snowpack system and potential feedbacks at their most fundamental levels.
For more information please visit The OASIS website