GIS-aided prediction for sea-ice distribution

A method of applying the geographic information system (GIS) to predict sea-ice distribution is proposed. The prediction computations are performed using the distributed mass/discrete floe (DMDF) model. The GIS is used to prepare the initial data for the DMDF model, and to display the simulation results together with a digital map and observational data for evaluation and further use. Two areas in the Arctic Ocean were selected to test the computations in this study. The results of the case studies show that this method can help with (1) free-area and free-scale prediction fitting for various purposes, (2) a high-resolution output to provide more detailed data, and (3) a reasonable combination of different data sets to make the best use of the information obtained. The results also suggest that the DMDF model is a good simulation of the ice motion not only for large-scale but also for local-scale predictions. Received: March 19, 2002 / Accepted: June 20, 2002 Acknowledgments. This study was financially supported by the Japan Science and Technology Corporation. The SSM/I sea-ice data were obtained from the EOSDIS NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), University of Colorado at Boulder. The authors thank the persons concerned. Address correspondence to: H. Yamaguchi (yama@fluidlab.naoe.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp)