Observational evidence of supercooling and frazil ice formation throughout the water column in a coastal polynya in the Sea of Okhotsk

Abstract

This paper examines underwater frazil ice formation in a coastal polynya. In a coastal polynya, the seawater near the ocean surface can become supercooled due to intense atmospheric cooling. Supercooled water sinks deeper under turbulent conditions, resulting in frazil ice formation in the water column. For the winter of 2002–2003, mooring measurement with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), an Ice-Profiling Sonar (IPS) and a conductivity-temperature recorder was conducted off the east coast of Sakhalin in the Sea of Okhotsk with the water depth of 33 m. IPS-derived ice draft data showed several polynya periods lasting for 1–2 weeks, associated with strong offshore winds. During these polynya periods, the ADCP acoustic backscatter strength was enhanced throughout the water column, accompanying in-situ and/or potential supercooling. This is evidence of underwater frazil ice formation associated with supercooling. Our data indicate that ice divergence/convergence, caused by the combination of wind and tidal forcing, results in a diurnal cycle of underwater frazil ice formation. According to a heat budget analysis, the contribution of frazil ice production to the total ice production during the winter is estimated to be at least 60% of mass. Based on the mooring data, this study shows that frazil ice formation occurs throughout the water column in a polynya, resulting in effective ice production.