Dynamics and Variability of Terra Nova Bay Polynya

Abstract

Abstract. We present a process study on the dynamics and variability of the Terra Nova Bay polynya in the western sector of the Ross Sea. The air‐sea heat exchange is known to be particularly large in polynya during the winter, when differences between air and sea temperatures are large. We apply a 1‐D model (Pease, 1987; Van Woert, 1999a, 1999b), which is modified in the latent heat parameterisation in order to account for time‐dependent relative humidity and cloud coverage. Furthermore, the Ice Collection Depth is correlated linearly with a variable wind speed. The model is forced with two different meteorological data sets: the operational analysis of the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric data set and the meteorological parameters measured by an Automatic Weather Station located on the coast of Terra Nova Bay. The results are compared in terms of polynya extension, ice, and High Salinity Shelf Water production. According to the two different wind velocities, the results obtained from the different data sets clearly differ. Qualitatively, however, the results are in good agreement.