The Next Generation of Cryosphere Science for "Navigating" the New Arctic

Rapid changes in the Arctic are driving new national security concerns, pointing to the need for anticipatory information on climate, weather and environmental conditions. DOE Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research program is developing the next generation of Earth System Model, E3SM, using a meshing and computational framework that enables high resolution simulations in sensitive parts of the globe. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory lead the development of cryosphere enabling science and component models for E3SM, including sea ice, ice sheets, the ocean and permafrost. We are also developing a version of E3SM with a focus on high resolution representation of the coupled components of the Arctic system. In our role as a National Nuclear Security Agency laboratory we have a long history of applying environmental science and modeling to address national security issues. Here we present opportunities to inform national security through application of Arctic focused Earth System Model simulations.