New NOPP Project Aims to Improve Arctic Environmental Data

The National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) is pleased to announce the funding of NOPP’s newest project, “Multi-Sensor Improved Sea Surface Temperatures: Continuing the GHRSST Partnership and Improving Arctic Data”.

The award was given in connection with the NOPP 2018 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). This BAA was crafted by a partnership of federal agencies that identified the production, stewardship, and application of high resolution sea surface temperature and technology as a topic of mutual and emerging interest.

The five-year, $4.7 million award was given to Dr. Chelle Gentemann of Earth and Space Research. Dr. Gentemann and a team of partners from Saildrone, Perspecta, University of Colorado, University of Rhode Island, University of Miami, University of Washington, University of California Santa Cruz, University of Maryland, NASA, NOAA, and the US Navy will work to address critical issues related to sea surface temperature in the Arctic.

Sea surface temperature is an important measurement for weather and climate forecasting. Satellite measurements of sea surface temperature in the Arctic are less accurate than in areas with more at-sea observations because the at-sea observations are used to develop and verify the satellite measurements. This project’s objective will be to collect, quality control, and re-distribute existing Arctic sea surface temperature data that have not previously been used, and to integrate this data into existing databases used to develop satellite measurements. New Arctic data will be collected each Summer using Saildrone unmanned surface vehicles. The outcome will be an increase in the overall accuracy and availability of Arctic environmental data, which will result in substantial improvements in our understanding and prediction of the Arctic environment.