Satellite‐derived maps of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice motion: 1988 to 1994

Abstract

Standard image processing methods applied to 85.5 GHz Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data provide previously unseen details about sea ice motion in the Arctic and Southern oceans. Means calculated from daily ice motions for 1988–1994 confirm the basic circulation patterns established from drifting stations and buoys, but extend these observations to illustrate less well‐known transport patterns in the Arctic coastal zones and sub‐Arctic seas. In the Antarctic, the gridded motion fields show a nearly continuous westward transport along the Antarctic coast, with well‐defined regions of exchange between this East Wind Drift and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This detailed view of mean ice motion in the Southern Ocean is unique and presents a comprehensive overview not previously available for Antarctic ice motions.