R/V Mirai Cruise MR18-05C

Unusual states of the Arctic regions, for example, less sea-ice extent, high temperatures in the atmosphere and ocean, much snow fall, and extreme weather events in the Arctic and beyond, has 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 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Polar Prediction Project
(PPP) provides a great opportunity to collaborate with observing and modeling platforms. This cruise contributes to the YOPP by
(1) collecting the in-situ data to understand the physical processes during early winter Arctic Ocean,
(2) evaluating and improving operational models based on the in-situ data, and
(3) monitoring the temporal and spatial variability of the basic parameters during a period of sea-ice advancing.