Abstract
Breakup of the near-continuous winter sea ice into discrete summer ice floes is an important transition that dictates the evolution and fate of the marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the Arctic Ocean. During the winter of 2014, more than 50 autonomous drifting buoys were deployed in four separate clusters on the sea ice in the Beaufort Sea, as part of the Office of Naval Research MIZ program. These systems measured the ocean-ice-atmosphere properties at their location whilst the sea ice parameters in the surrounding area of these buoy clusters were continuously monitored by satellite TerraSAR-X Synthetic Aperture Radar. This approach provided a unique Lagrangian view of the winter-to-summer transition of sea ice breakup and floe size distribution at each cluster between March and August. The results show the critical timings of a) temporary breakup of winter sea ice coinciding with strong wind events and b) spring breakup (during surface melt, melt ponding and drainage) leading to distinctive summer ice floes. Importantly our results suggest that summer sea ice floe distribution is potentially affected by the state of winter sea ice, including the composition and fracturing (caused by deformation events) of winter sea ice, and that substantial mid-summer breakup of sea ice floes is likely linked to the timing of thermodynamic melt of sea ice in the area. As the rate of deformation and thermodynamic melt of sea ice has been increasing in the MIZ in the Beaufort Sea, our results suggest that these elevated factors would promote faster and more enhanced breakup of sea ice, leading to a higher melt rate of sea ice and thus a more rapid advance of the summer MIZ.
Highlights
Sea ice breakup is an important process that characterizes the winter-to-summer transition of sea ice in the marginal ice zone (MIZ)
The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the winter-to-summer transition of sea ice breakup and floe size distribution (FSD), by analyzing the TS-X derived parameters and their relationships to oceanic, atmospheric and sea ice parameters measured by clusters of multi-sensor buoys
Some variability in the multi-year ice (MYI) fraction is observed over time (Table 1), which can be attributed to local variability (i.e., TS-X images did Cluster MYI fractiona (%)
Summary
Sea ice breakup is an important process that characterizes the winter-to-summer transition of sea ice in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). The study by Wang et al (2015) examined the transition of FSD during large wave events in August and September in the Beaufort Sea, focusing on the effects of ocean waves on floe breakup in a late summer condition. This comprehensive collection of TS-X SAR data was made at high temporal coverage (~2–5 days at each cluster) (see Table S1) This approach provides a unique view of a full winter-to-summer transition of sea ice breakup and FSD at the drifting clusters. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the winter-to-summer transition of sea ice breakup and FSD, by analyzing the TS-X derived parameters and their relationships to oceanic, atmospheric and sea ice parameters measured by clusters of multi-sensor buoys
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
