Adrienne Tivy

Long-Range Prediction of the Shipping Season in Hudson Bay: A Statistical Approach

Abstract Despite recent reductions in Arctic sea ice extent and the associated increase in both the recreational and commercial use of ice-infested waters, long-range prediction of operationally relevant sea ice parameters is an area of seasonal forecasting that has received little attention. Statistical methods that isolate and exploit empirical relationships between antecedent low-frequency climate variability and specific variables of interest are often used to solve seasonal forecasting problems. In this study, simple multiple linear regression (MLR) techniques are used to improve the skill of the seasonal (3-month lead) forecast of the breakup and clearing of sea ice along the shipping route through Hudson Bay that is issued each March by the Canadian Ice Service of Environment Canada. Using sea ice and climate data from 1972 to 2002, predictive MLR models are developed for the spring opening date of the shipping route and the latest expected opening date. A success rate of 77% over the 1972–2002 per...

Origins and Levels of Seasonal Forecast Skill for Sea Ice in Hudson Bay Using Canonical Correlation Analysis

Abstract Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is used to estimate the levels and sources of seasonal forecast skill for July ice concentration in Hudson Bay over the 1971–2005 period. July is an important transition month in the seasonal cycle of sea ice in Hudson Bay because it is the month when the sea ice clears enough to allow the first passage of ships to the Port of Churchill. Sea surface temperature (quasi global, North Atlantic, and North Pacific), Northern Hemisphere 500-mb geopotential height (z500), sea level pressure (SLP), and regional surface air temperature (SAT) are tested as predictors at 3-, 6-, and 9-month lead times. The model with the highest skill has three predictors—fall North Atlantic SST, fall z500, and fall SAT—and significant tercile forecast skill covering 61% of the Hudson Bay region. The highest skill for a single-predictor model is from fall North Atlantic SST (6-month lead). Fall SST explains 69% of the variance in July ice concentration in Hudson Bay and a possible atmosp...