Overview
The IPY sea ice workshop will bring together participants of the SIPEX and SIMBA cruises conducted in the Antarctic in spring 2007, as well as others interested in Antarctic sea ice processes, modelling and remote sensing.  Ground-truthing of remote sensing will be a major emphasis as specific RADARSAT and ICESat missions coincided with the cruises, as well as an archival campaign for Envisat ASAR imagery.  There are currently 35 confirmed attendees. The schedule will allow for parallel breakout sessions to facilitate discussion on topics of interest to workshop participants, and the plenary session on the first day will afford all participants an opportunity to propose discussion topics. One outcome of the workshop will be a final list of papers for the special volume of Deep Sea Research that will focus on the results of Antarctic sea ice research during IPY. 
 
Schedule
The workshop will commence at 1600 on Sunday 22nd March and finish at 1800 Tuesday 24th March. You should plan to arrive in Lucca by lunch time Sunday and depart on the morning of Wednesday 25th (3 nights). Please do not plan to leave on Tuesday (unless it is after 1800) as the final session of the workshop will be important.
 
Sunday 22nd March
1600 – 1830. Plenary session, open space format. All participants will have an opportunity to nominate, and sign up for, discussion sessions.
 
Monday 23rd March
Parallel discussion sessions, each 1.5 hours separated by breaks and lunch
 
Tuesday 24th March
Morning session: Two parallel discussion sessions
Afternoon session: Plenary session, rapporteur reports, outcomes, DSR discussion.
Evening: Final discussions and workshop dinner
 
Wednesday 25th March
Depart after breakfast
 
Venue and travel information
The workshop will be help in Lucca, Italy at the same venue as the Gordon Conference on Polar Marine Science (which will be held the week before, see http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2009&program=polar ). 
 
The workshop registration fee is €312.00 (double accommodation) or €432.00 (single accommodation), and covers all meals and accommodation for 3 days from lunch on Sunday 22nd to breakfast on Wednesday 25th inclusive. 
 
Pisa is the nearest major airport. Transport arrangements between Pisa and the workshop venue will be advised at a later date.
 
Registration
To register please contact Tony Worby by email [ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ].  You must then make your own bookings directly with the hotel, by contacting Bruno at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and stating that you will be attending the IPY sea ice workshop. If you intend to share accommodation you can request/nominate a room mate when you book. Registration and bookings should be made as soon as possible and no later than February 6th.
 
Funding
Limited funding is available to cover the registration costs of people who would otherwise not be able to attend. If you wish to apply for funding you must contact Steve Ackley [ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ] or Tony Worby [ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ] by Friday 30th January. Funding has been provided by SCAR and the ACE CRC in Hobart and we gratefully acknowledge their support.