Workshop: Observational campaigns for better weather forecasts

Unusual states of the Arctic regions, for example, less sea-ice extent, high temperatures in the atmosphere and ocean, much snowfall, and extreme weather events in the Arctic and beyond, have been prominent in recent years in particular during winter time. Those phenomena are scientifically important for understanding the air-ice-sea coupled physical processes and improving skills of numerical models. Skillful forecasts of weather, sea ice and ocean are useful for ship navigation as well as activities of indigenous people. The Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) proposed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Polar Prediction Project (PPP) provides a great opportunity to collaborate with observing and modeling platforms. In November 2018, the Japanese research vessel Mirai went to the southern Chukchi Sea to observe the unusual conditions of the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean during the beginning of the freezing. To succeed this unique cruise, skillful forecasts were vital for this ice-strengthen ship. This presentation gives an overview of this cruise from the viewpoint of polar predictions.