Supported by:
Ice Analysts Workshop June'2008
see also: [background information] [draft agenda] [local logistics]
[Materials and Resources]
The 8th session of the International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG-8), held in Frascati, ESA/ESRIN, 22-26 October 2007, agreed on the further actions towards on the planning and provision of the "Ice Analysts Workshop" in 2008. The workshop was initially proposed by the WMO/IOC JCOMM Services Programme Area (SPA) Coordination Group session (Exeter, UK, November 2006) and further agreed by the joint 3rd session of the JCOMM Expert Team on Sea Ice (ETSI) / 11th session of the WMO Global Digital Sea Ice Data Bank project (GDSIDB) (Geneva, Switzerland, March 2007).
The prime aim of the workshop should be assessment of differences of current practices of ice analysis and charting at the level of national ice services and accuracies of ice charts to meet both operational and climate analysis needs. To help achieving this goal, the workshop will encompass two parts: (1) case studies presentation/discussion from different Ice Services on the techniques used in analyzing imagery and preparing ice charts in order to exchange views and techniques and learn different practices from different Ice Services; and (2) breakout expert groups by region (Arctic, Antarctic and Baltic) to analyze imagery and prepare ice charts during the workshop in order to develop a methodology to harmonize the analysis process.
Organizers of the workshop will be Hosting agency - German BSH ice service in Rostock, ETSI, WMO Secretariat and GCOS. Optimal time for workshop was agreed to be 2nd week of June 2008 (9-13 June 2008) with other possible time slot to avoid intersection with the GHRSST session - 3rd week of June 2008 (16-20 June 2008).
Organizing Committee includes ETSI chair, BSH ice service head, GCOS SST&SI Sub-group chair, GHRSST-PP chair, Workshop Coordinator and WMO Secretariat.
It is expected that results of this workshop will be compiled in a form of a JCOMM Technical publication covering workshop venue, historical aspects of ice charting, state-of-art in the field of ice diagnosis in the national ice services based on workshop presentations, 'satellite imagery analysis' case study and 'past season ice charts' case study summaries, analysis of sea ice parameters uncertainties on sea ice charts further effecting ice charts assimilation in numerical forecasting and climatic analysis, proposals for practices harmonization, including coding and presentation schemes and for verification of informational products based on passive microwave imagery. Workshop Coordinator will be responsible for putting together the workshop proceedings with support form the WMO Secretariat and ETSI chair.
(Last Updated: 15-05-2008)