Measurements of the Radiation Temperature of Antarctic Icebergs and the Surrounding Surface Water

Abstract

During the Norwegian Antarctic Research Expedition 1978–79, temperature measurements of a number of icebergs and the surrounding surface water were made, using an airborne precision radiation thermometer. All icebergs were embedded in cold water-masses with temperatures generally below 0°C and thus the observed temperature anomalies were relatively small, ΔT ≈ 1 deg. Examples of the influence of icebergs on the sea surface temperature including a possible example of upwelling will be shown. The temperature of the snow-covered iceberg surface was almost constant with individual variations ΔT ≈ 0.2 deg. Local minima indicative of snow-covered crevasses were observed.