Arctic Summer Cloud-Ocean Study
Arctic Summer Cloud-Ocean Study (ASCOS) is a multidisciplinary international atmosphere experiment. Its expedition was based on an ice floe near the North Pole, reached on the Swedish ice-breaker Oden. The purpose is to increase knowledge of clouds and their role in the Arctic climate system. Clouds regulate the surface energy flow that influences how the sea ice freezes and thaws. Clouds form through a combination of meteorological conditions together with small particles, aerosols, that serve as the embryos for cloud droplets. In summer, particles from algae, bacteria and viruses contribute to the formation of cloud droplets over the Arctic pack ice. ASCOS was the fourth research expedition to the central Arctic basin with a focus on atmospheric research.
Film: Arctic cloud formation
www.su.se/english/research/2.439/arctic_cloud_formation
Web editor:
Paul Parker
Last updated:
January 23, 2009
Source: External Relations Office
