Growth Rate of Sea Ice

Abstract

During the course of field work at Thule, Greenland, in conjunction with an Air Force Cambridge Research Center sea ice project, ice thicknesses were measured in a protected part of North Star Bay, an arm of Baffin Bay, over the greater part of two ice growth seasons. Measurements were made at several locations both on the sea ice and on pools that were artificially opened up in it daily for the first month after freeze-up of the 1956-57 season. Snow cover was slight (several centimeters or less) throughout the period of most intensive measurement and averaged less than 30 cm. in March for both years of record. All air temperatures were measured at least 6 m. above the ice surface. Ice thicknesses were measured in a small area on a single uniform sheet. There existed no complications such as rafting, above freezing temperatures, runoff, or large and variable amounts of snow. The resulting curve is particularly well documented in the initial parts where data have previously been sparse. Two important conclusions may immediately be drawn from the data.