9408647 Spilhaus This award will support the travel of approximately ten U.S. scientists to the NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) on the Physics of Ice-Covered Seas, June 6-17, 1994, in Finland. Ice-covered seas in the antarctic and the arctic are thought to be important components in global climatic change, since the presence or absence of sea ice has an enormous effect on the surface albedo, surface temperature, water vapor flux, and low cloud amount. It is possible that a positive feedback loop exists in that the reduction of sea ice produces a lowered albedo, which leads to further surface warming. The formation of sea ice moreover has profound oceanic effects by destabilizing the surface layers and promoting deep vertical convection in regions that are normally only marginally stable. Scientifically the ASI is sponsored by the IUGG International Association of the Physical Sciences of the Ocean, and the IUGG Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research. ***
