The Polar Ice Prediction System (PIPS) Version 3.0 (User's Manual)

The Polar Ice Prediction System (PIPS) Version 3.0 is a dynamic sea-ice model that forecasts conditions in all sea-ice covered areas in the northern hemisphere (down to 30 degrees north in latitude). It has a horizontal resolution of approximately 9 km. The vertical resolution in the model has been set at 45 levels so that Arctic shelves, continental slopes, and submarine ridges are accurately represented. Currently, the domain includes the Irminger, Labrador, North, and Baltic Seas on the Atlantic side and the Bering Sea, Sea of Japan, and the Sea of Okhotsk on the Pacific. The PIPS 3.0 system is based on the Los Alamos ice model and coupled (via file transfer) to the operational, global Navy Coastal Ocean Model (gNCOM). The system forecasts daily ice thickness, concentration and drift in the Artic Ocean. This report documents the setup and execution of the PIPS 3.0 system.
The original document contains color images. Prepared in collaboration with Planning Systems, Inc., Stennis Space Center, MS.