Physical, structural, and isotopic characteristics and growth processes of fast sea ice in Lützow‐Holm Bay, Antarctica

Abstract

A sea‐ice/ocean study was conducted off Queen Maud Land and Enderby Land, Antarctica, from 1990 to 1991 by the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. Observations of multiyear land fast sea ice were made in Lützow‐Holm Bay over a period of 2 years to determine the snow and ice characteristics and ice growth processes. The snow depth in the bay reached large values of 1.0 to 1.5 m during the winter season at offshore locations. From the analysis of ice thickness measurements, it is confirmed that the fast ice with deep snow cover grew little in winter but substantially thickened during the summer months. On the basis of ice core structure, salinity, and stable isotopic composition, we conclude that the summer growth was caused by upward growth at the top of the ice to which snow ice and superimposed ice formation contribute. These processes were the primary contributors to sea‐ice growth and characteristics only where the snow accumulation was large. In areas of low snow accumulation, there was no surface growth. Superimposed ice formation on sea ice in Antarctica has not been reported previously. Evidence for snow cover melting, which is a prerequisite for superimposed ice formation, was also found.