Abstract
Abstract. On Arctic sea ice, the melt of snow and sea ice generate a summertime flux of fresh water to the upper ocean. The partitioning of this meltwater to storage in melt ponds and deposition in the ocean has consequences for the surface heat budget, the sea ice mass balance, and primary productivity. Synthesizing results from the 1997–1998 SHEBA field experiment, we calculate the sources and sinks of meltwater produced on a multiyear floe during summer melt. The total meltwater input to the system from snowmelt, ice melt, and precipitation from 1 June to 9 August was equivalent to a layer of water 80 cm thick over the ice-covered and open ocean. A total of 85 % of this meltwater was deposited in the ocean, and only 15 % of this meltwater was stored in ponds. The cumulative contributions of meltwater input to the ocean from drainage from the ice surface and bottom melting were roughly equal.
Highlights
During the Arctic summer melt season, copious amounts of relatively fresh water are produced due to snowmelt and sea ice melt
How much meltwater is produced? What are the relative contributions from different sources and how do they change with time? What fraction of surface-produced meltwater is stored in ponds? Here we address these questions by computing a meltwater budget, from a sea ice perspective, over the summer melt season by synthesizing results from the SHEBA experiment (Perovich et al, 1999)
We examine the time series of meltwater produced through surface snowmelt and ice melt, bottom melt, lateral melt, and rain and explore the sinks of drainage to the ocean and storage in melt ponds
Summary
During the Arctic summer melt season, copious amounts of relatively fresh water are produced due to snowmelt and sea ice melt. Meltwater from bottom melt, lateral melt, drainage from the surface, and rain is input to the upper ocean, freshening and stabilizing it. We address these questions by computing a meltwater budget, from a sea ice perspective, over the summer melt season by synthesizing results from the SHEBA experiment (Perovich et al, 1999). Both sources and sinks of meltwater are determined. We examine the time series of meltwater produced through surface snowmelt and ice melt, bottom melt, lateral melt, and rain and explore the sinks of drainage to the ocean and storage in melt ponds
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