About Mike Steele I am interested in the large-scale circulation of sea ice and water in the Arctic Ocean. I use both observed data and numerical model simulations to better understand the average circulation pathways as well as the causes of interannual variations in these pathways. My analysis of ocean observations has focused on the upper layers, which are generally quite cold and fresh. The transition to saltier waters within depths between 80-200 m below the surface is called the halocline. I have investigated the sources of this halocline water as well as recent shifts in the various sub-layers that together compose the halocline. Much of oceanography can be thought of as exploration, since the ocean is so poorly sampled in space and time. The Arctic Ocean is a prime example of this. Some of what I and my colleagues have recently discovered about Arctic Ocean circulation is brand new and very exciting. Some was actually discovered years ago by Russian scientists working in relative isolation, and is only now being "rediscovered" by younger Russians and non-Russians. I also work with numerical model simulations. Typically, I analyze the output in order to understand very basic balances, e.g., "What is are the relative magnitudes of the terms in Newton's second law (F = ma) for the motion of floating sea ice in the Arctic Ocean?" Another study focused on the sources, sinks, and transport of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean. I have recently become involved with the Arctic Ocean Modeling Intercomparison Study (AOMIP). This is a program to determine where a number of different coupled sea ice - ocean models have similarities and where they have differences, and why. Funding for my research comes from the National Science Foundation and from NASA. I am involved with some "outreach" programs such as lectures to grade school kids and writing popular science articles (e.g., for Discover Magazine). I have been with the Polar Science Center since 1987. Curriculum Vitae

Publications

Rawlins, M. A., M. Steele, M. C. Serreze, C. J. Vorosmarty, W. Ermold, R. B. Lammers, K. C. McDonald, T. M. Pavelsky, A. Shilomanov, and J. Zhang, "Tracing freshwater anomalies through the air-land-ocean system: A case study from the Mackenzie River Basin and the Beaufort Gyre", Atmos. Ocean, 47(1), 79–97, doi:10.3137/OC301, 2009.

McPhee, M., A. Proshutinsky, J. Morison, M. Steele, and M. Alkire, "Rapid change in freshwater content of the Arctic Ocean", Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L10602, doi:10.1029/2009GL037525, 2009.

Steele, M., W. Ermold, and J. Zhang, "Arctic Ocean surface warming trends over the past 100 years", Geophys. Res. Lett.,/35, L02614, doi:10.1029/2007GL031651, 2008.

Polyakov, I. V., V. Alexeev, G. I. Belchansky, I. A. Dmitrenko, V. Ivanov, S. Kirillov, A. Korablev, M. Steele, L. A. Timokhov, and I. Yashayaev, "Arctic Ocean freshwater changes over the past 100 years and their causes", J. Climate, 21, 364-384, 2008.

Alkire, M. B., K. K. Falkner, I. Rigor, M. Steele, and J. H. Morison, “The return of Pacific waters to the upper layers of the central Arctic Ocean”, Deep-Sea Res. Part I, 54, 1509–1529, 2007.

Holloway G., F. Dupont, E. Golubeva, S. Hakkinen, E. Hunke, M. Jin, M. Karcher, F. Kauker, M. Maltrud, M. A. Morales Maqueda, W. Maslowski, G. Platov, D. Stark, M. Steele, T. Suzuki, J. Wang, and J. Zhang, “Water properties and circulation in Arctic Ocean models”, J. Geophys Res., 112, C04S03, doi:10.1029/2006JC003642, 2007.

Lindsay, R. W., J. Zhang, A. J. Schweiger, and M. Steele, “Seasonal predictions of ice extent in the Arctic Ocean”, J. Geophys. Res., in press, 2007.

Polyakov, I. V., V. Alexeev, G. I. Belchansky, I. A. Dmitrenko, V. Ivanov, S. Kirillov, A. Korablev, M. Steele, L. A. Timokhov, and I. Yashayaev, “Arctic Ocean freshwater changes over the past 100 years and their causes”, J. Climate, in press, 2007.

Polyakov, I. V., et al., M. Steele, et al., “Observational program tracks Arctic Ocean transition to a warmer state”, EOS, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 88(40) 398-399, 2007.

Serreze, M. C., A. P. Barrett, A. J. Slater, M. Steele, J. Zhang and K. Trenberth, “The large-scale energy budget of the arctic”, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D11122, doi:10.1029/2006JD008230, 2007.

Steele, M., W. Ermold, and J. Zhang, “Arctic Ocean surface warming trends over the 20th century”, Geophys. Res. Lett., in press, 2007.

Steele, M. and W. Ermold, “Steric sea level change in the Northern Seas”, J. Climate, 20(3), 403–417, 2007.

White, D., L. Hinzman, L. Alessa, J. Cassano, M. Chambers, K. Falkner, J. Francis, B. Gutowski, M. Holland, M. Holmes, H. Huntington, D. Kane, A. Kliskey, C. Lee, J. McClelland, B. Peterson, F. Straneo, M. Steele, R. Woodgate, D. Yang, K. Yoshikawa, T. Zhang, “The Arctic Freshwater System: Changes and impacts”, Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, G04S54, doi:10.1029/2006JG000353, 2007.

Zhang, J., and M. Steele, “The effect of vertical mixing on the Atlantic layer circulation in the Arctic Ocean”, J. Geophys. Res., 112, C04S04, doi:10.1029/2006JC003732, 2007.

Morison, J., M. Steele, T. Kikuchi, K. Falkner, and W. Smethie, "The relaxation of Central Arctic Ocean hydrography toward pre-1990s climatology", Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L17604, doi: 10.1029/2006GL026826, 2006.

Serreze, M. C., A. P. Barrett, A. J. Slater, R. A. Woodgate, K. Aagaard, R. Lammers, M. Steele, R. Moritz, M. Meredith, C. Lee, "The large-scale freshwater cycle of the arctic", J. Geophys. Res., in press, 2006.

Steele, M., A. Porcelli, and J. Zhang, "Origins of the SHEBA freshwater anomaly in the Mackenzie River delta", Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L09601, doi:10.1029/2005GL024813, 2006.

Polyakov, I.V., Beszczynska, A., Carmack, E.C., Dmitrenko, I.A., Fahrbach, E., Frolov, I.E., Gerdes, R., Hansen, E., Holfort, J., Ivanov, V.V., Johnson, M.A., Karcher, M., Kauker, F., Morison, J., Orvik, K.A., Schauer, U., Simmons, H.L., Skagseth, Ø., Sokolov, V.T., Steele, M., Timokhov, L.A., Walsh, D., Walsh, J.E., "One more step toward a warmer Arctic", Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L17605, 10.1029/2005GL023740, 2005.

Proshutinsky, A. et al. including M. Steele and J. Zhang, "Arctic Ocean study: Synthesis of model results and observations", EOS, 40(4), 2005.

Uotila, P., D.M. Holland, M.A. Morales Maqueda, S. Hakkinen, G. Holloway, M. Karcher, M. Steele, N. Yakovlev, J. Zhang, A. Proshutinsky: "An energy-diagnostics intercomparison of coupled ice-ocean Arctic models", Ocean Modeling, 11, 1–27, 2005.

Falkner, K., M. Steele, R. Woodgate, J. Swift, K. Aagaard, and J. Morison, Dissolved oxygen extrema in the Arctic Ocean halocline from the North Pole to the Lincoln Sea, Deep-Sea Res., Volume 52, Issue 7, Pages 1138-1154 , July 2005.

Steele, M. and W. Ermold, Salinity trends on the Siberian shelves, Geophys. Res. Lett.,31, L24308, 10.1029/2004GL021302, 2004.

Zhang, J., M. Steele, D. A. Rothrock, and R. Lindsay, Increasing exchanges at Greenland-Scotland ridge and their links with the North Atlantic Oscillation and arctic sea ice, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L09307, 10.1029/2003GL019304, 2004.

Steele, M., J. Morison, W. Ermold, I. Rigor, M. Ortmeyer, and K. Shimada, Circulation of summer Pacific halocline water in the Arctic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 109(C2), C02027, 10.1029/2003JC002009, 2004.

Steiner, N., G. Holloway, R. Gerdes, S. Häkkinen, D. Holland, M. Karcher, F. Kauker, W. Maslowski, A. Proshutinsky, M. Steele, J. Zhang, Comparing modeled stream function, heat and freshwater content in the Arctic Ocean, Ocean Modelling, Volume 6, Issues 3-4, 265-284 2004.

Morison, J. H., K. Aagaard, K. K. Falkner, K, Hatakeyama, R. Moritz, J. E. Overland, D. Perovich, K. Shimada, M. Steele, T. Takizawa, R. Woodgate, Early results from the North Pole Environmental Observatory, EOS Trans., 83(33), pp. 357, 360-361, 2002.

Boyd, T. J., M. Steele, R. D. Muench, and J. T. Gunn, Partial recovery of the Arctic Ocean halocline, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 10.1029/2001GL014047, 2002.

Björk, G., S. Söderkvist, P. Winsor, A. Nikolopoulos, and M. Steele, Partial return of the cold halocline layer to the Amundsen Basin of the Arctic Ocean: Implications for the sea ice mass balance, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 10.1029/2001GL014157, 2002.

Proshutinsky, A., M. Steele., J. Zhang, G. Holloway, N. Steiner, S. Häkkinen, D. Holland, R. Gerdes, C. Koeberle, M. Karcher, M. Johnson, W. Maslowski, Y. Zhang, W. Hibler, and J. Wang, Multinational effort studies differences among Arctic Ocean models, EOS Trans., 82 (51), 637, 643-644, 2001.

Walsh, J. E., J. Curry, M. Fahnestock, M. C. Kennicutt II, A. D. Mcguire, W. B. Rossow, M. Steele, C. J. Vorosmarty, and R. Wharton, Enhancing NASA’s contributions to polar science: A review of polar geophysical data sets, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 124 pp., 2001. (Available through The National Academies Press)

Steele, M., W. Ermold, S. Häkkinen, D. Holland, G. Holloway, M. Karcher, F. Kauker, W. Maslowski, N. Steiner, and J. Zhang, Adrift in the Beaufort Gyre: A model intercomparison, Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 2935-2938, 2001.

Steele, M., R. Morley, and W. Ermold, PHC: A global ocean hydrography with a high quality Arctic Ocean, J. Climate, 14, 2079-2087, 2001.

Martinson, D. G., and M. Steele, Future of the arctic sea ice cover: Implications of an antarctic analog, Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 307-310, 2001.

Forman, S. L., W. Maslowski, J. T. Andrews, D. Lubinski, M. Steele, J. Zhang, R. Lammers, and B. Peterson, Researchers explore arctic freshwater’s role in ocean circulation, EOS Trans., 81, 169, 2000.

Morison, J.H., K. Aagaard, and M. Steele, Recent environmental changes in the Arctic: A review, Arctic, 53, 359-371, 2000.

Steele, M. and G. Flato, Sea ice growth, melt, and modeling: A survey, in: The Freshwater Budget of the Arctic Ocean, pp 549-587, Kluwer, The Netherlands, 2000.

Zhang, J., D. Rothrock, and M. Steele, Recent changes in Arctic sea ice: The interplay between ice dynamics and thermodynamics, J. Climate, 13, 3099-3114, 2000.

Steele, M. and T. Boyd, Retreat of the cold halocline layer in the Arctic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 10,419-10,435, 1998.

Zhang, J., D. Rothrock, and M. Steele, Warming of the Arctic Ocean by a strengthened Atlantic inflow: Model results, Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, 1745-1748, 1998.

Morison, J.H., M. Steele, and R. Andersen, Hydrography of the upper Arctic Ocean measured from the nuclear submarine USS Pargo, Deep Sea Res. I, 45, 15-38, 1998.

Zhang, J., W. Hibler, M. Steele, and D. Rothrock, Arctic ice-ocean modeling with and without climate restoring, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 28, 191-217, 1998.

Steele, M., J. Zhang, D. Rothrock and H. Stern, The force balance of sea ice in a numerical model of the Arctic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 21,061-21,079, 1997.

Steele, M., D. Thomas, D. Rothrock, and S. Martin, A simple model study of the Arctic Ocean freshwater balance, 1979-1985, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 20,833-20,848, 1996.

Thomas, D., D. Rothrock, S. Martin, and M. Steele, Assimilating satellite concentration data into an Arctic sea ice mass balance model, 1979-1985, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 20,849-20,868, 1996.

Steele, M., J. H. Morison, and T. Curtin, Halocline water formation in the Barents Sea, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 881-894, 1995.

Steele, M. and J. Morison, Hydrography and vertical fluxes of heat and salt northeast of Svalbard in autumn, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 10,013-10,024, 1993.

Steele, M., Sea ice melting and floe geometry in a simple ice-ocean model, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 17729-17738, 1992.

Steele, M. and J. H. Morison, Obtaining smooth hydrographic profiles from a buoy deployed in sea ice, J. Atmos. and Ocean. Technol., 9, 812-826, 1992.

Steele, M., G. L. Mellor, and M. G. McPhee, Role of the molecular sublayer in the melting or freezing of sea ice, J. Phys. Oceangr., 19, 139-147, 1989.

Steele, M., J. H. Morison, and N. Untersteiner, The partition of air-ice-ocean momentum exchange as a function of ice concentration, floe size, and draft, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 12,739-12,750, 1989.

Steele, M., Numerical models of sea ice - ocean interaction in the Marginal Ice Zone, Ph.D. thesis, Princeton University, 203 pp., 1987.

Mellor, G. L., M. G. McPhee, and M. Steele, Ice-seawater turbulent boundary layer interaction with melting or freezing, J. Phys. Oceangr., 16, 1829-1846, 1986.