Jökull - 01.12.1971, Qupperneq 72

International Sea Ice Conference, Reykjavík, Iceland,
10-13 May 1971
An International Sea Ice Conference was
held May 10—13 in Reykjavík, Iceland, spon-
sored by the National Research Council of Ice-
land and cosponsored by the Bauer Scientific
Trust, Washington D.C. Financial support of
the conference was given by Unesco.
In recent years ice problems and their re-
levance to oceanographic and meteorological
studies have received increased attention. This
is reflected in more emphasis on ice research
and the conduct of various conferences on
polar problems. In January—February 1969 a
national conference on Arctic ice problems with
special emphasis on sea ice near Iceland was
held in Reykjavlk. This conference was report-
ed in the 1969 issue of Jökull. The inter-
national confercence was organized as a result
of the national conference.
The conference was divided into five differ-
ent categories: regional studies with 11 papers,
observational techniques with 6 papers, rela-
tionship between sea ice and climate with 5
papers, sea ice mechanics with 5 papers, and
remote sensing techniques with 5 papers. In
addition there was a general session in which
5 papers were presented. The conference was
attended by 75 scientists from 11 countries.
Only a few of the papers presented at tlie
conference will be mentioned here. Professor
N. Untersteiner from the University of Wash-
ington discussed the “Scientific Plan for the
Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AID-
JEX)”. Dr. \'<)lkov from the Arctic and Ant-
arctic Research Institute in Leningrad present-
ed an interesting paper entitled “On the status
of long range ice forecasting” and this topic
was also discussed in the paper by Uralov ancl
Lebedev of the same Institute which carried
the title “Sea ice forecasting in the North At-
lantic and adjacent seas”.
A paper by W. J. Campbell and L. A. Ras-
mussen, “A numerical model for sea ice dyna-
mics incorporating three alternative constitu-
70 JÖKULL 21. ÁR
tive laws” aroused lively discussions, especially
with a view towards the possibilities of a
numerical model of the sea ice drift in the
East Greenlancl current. Professor T. Tabata
frorn the Institute of Low Temperature Sci-
ence at Hokkaido University in Japan present-
ed “Observadons of deformation and rnove-
ment of ice field with the sea ice radar net-
work” and showed some remarkable time lapse
movies of the ice movement as seen on the
radar screen.
Dr. Charles Swithinbank of the Scott Polar
Research Institute in England presentecl an
interesting report on a British nuclear-powered
submarine trip to the North Pole in Marcli
1971. This report marked the first time that
upward-looking echosounder data on the bot-
tom fopography of the sea ice cover has been
rnade available to civilian sciendsts.
The conference approved a resolution calling
upon the National Research Council of Ice-
land, through diplomatic or other appropriate
channels, to bring to the attendon of states
interested in the Arctic and states signatory to
the Antartic Treaty the need for:
1. Standardization of techniques of observing,
reporting and recording sea-ice plteno-
mena.
2. Free international exchange of raw and
processed sea-ice data and for its storage
in world data centers.
3. Increased integration and coordination of
research into sea-ice problems along lines
at present being planned or carried out
by governments or under the auspices of
the Worlcl Meteorological Organization,
the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission, International Council for the
Exploration of the Seas, the Scientific Com-
mittee on Oceanic Research.
4. An integrated program of oceanographic
and meteorological observations and re-