Amount Of Open Water Research Articles

Secretive marsh bird habitat relationships at mid‐continent spring migration stopover sites

AbstractDespite several secretive marsh bird (SMB) species being listed as critically imperiled throughout the mid‐continent of North America, limited information on SMB distribution and habitat use within primary migratory corridors results in uncertainty on contributions of wetlands in mid‐latitude states toward their annual cycle needs. Our objectives were to quantify temporal patterns of SMB wetland occupancy during spring migration at a mid‐latitude state and evaluate the relationships between SMB colonization probability and water‐level management practices, and the resulting habitat conditions during spring migration. We conducted a 2‐year, dynamic occupancy study (2013–2014) that included 6 rounds of repeated call‐back surveys to detect the presence of 5 SMB species (i.e., Virginia rail [Rallus limicola], sora [Porzana carolina], king rail [R. elegans], least bittern [Ixobrychus exilis], and American bittern [Botaurus lentiginosus]) during spring (Apr–Jun) on 107 wetlands across 8 conservation areas and 4 national wildlife refuges throughout Missouri, USA. We detected sora most frequently, followed by least bittern, American bittern, Virginia rail, and king rail. Coefficient estimates indicated colonization probability for all species was positively associated with emergent vegetation cover and negatively associated with amount of open water. Open water was the only variable in the best supported model explaining American bittern site colonization, to which they were negatively associated. Virginia rail colonization had a strong positive association with vegetation height, whereas least bittern and sora site colonization were influenced positively by water depth and agriculture, respectively. Based on the habitat associations within and among SMB species identified in this study, wetland managers can tailor management strategies to optimize spring migration habitat for single‐ or multi‐species objectives.

High interindividual variability in habitat selection and functional habitat relationships in European nightjars over a period of habitat change.

An animal's choice of foraging habitat reflects its response to environmental cues and is likely to vary among individuals in a population. Analyzing the magnitude of individual habitat selection can indicate how resilient populations may be to anthropogenic habitat change, where individually varying, broadly generalist populations have the potential to adjust their behavior. We collected GPS point data from 39 European nightjars (Caprimulgus europaeus) at a UK breeding site where restoration measures have altered large areas of habitat between breeding seasons. We calculated individual habitat selection over four breeding seasons to observe changes that might align with change in habitat. We also analyzed change in home range size in line with change in habitat availability, to examine functional relationships that can represent trade‐offs made by the birds related to performance of the habitat.Individual explained more of the variation in population habitat selection than year for most habitat types. Individuals differed in the magnitude of their selection for different habitat types, which created a generalist population composed of both generalist and specialist individuals. Selection also changed over time but only significantly for scrub habitat (60% decrease in selection over 4 years). Across the population, individual home range size was 2% smaller where availability of cleared habitat within the home range was greater, but size increased by 2% where the amount of open water was higher, indicating the presence of trade‐offs related to habitat availability. These results highlight that using individual resource selection and specialization measures, in conjunction with functional responses to change, can lead to better understanding of the needs of a population. Pooling specialist and generalist individuals for analysis could hide divergent responses to change and consequently obscure information that could be important in developing effective conservation strategies.

Baffin Bay narwhal (Monodon monoceros) select bathymetry over sea ice during winter

Arctic pack ice structure and extent have been changing due to warming. Thus, understanding important habitat features for marine mammals that depend on sea ice, such as narwhal (Monodon monoceros), during winter will provide insight into impacts of future changes within the pack ice. The objective of this study was to determine narwhal habitat selection for bathymetry, sea ice concentration, thickness, and floe size during the winter season. Nineteen narwhals were equipped with SPLASH tags in Admiralty Inlet and Eclipse Sound (2009–2011), with 50% of the transmitters lasting until April allowing for analysis of the entire winter season. Generalized linear mixed models indicated that both sexes selected similar bathymetric habitat likely corresponding to higher prey densities of Greenland halibut. This preference for prey habitat occurred regardless of the mobile pack ice structure or amount of open water at the ocean surface. In addition, we found evidence of a potential relationship between increased winter movements and decreased ice extent over the 2009–2011 period. Together these findings suggest that changes to sea ice structure likely will not negatively impact narwhal directly in the winter. However, indirect effects of changing sea ice, such as changing prey densities and distribution, increased presence of killer whales (Orcinus orca) as predators, increased interspecies competition for prey, and increased anthropogenic activities could influence winter habitat selection of narwhal. In conclusion, the extensive winter movements indicate that narwhal may be more flexible in their selection of winter habitat than previously believed.

Moisture flux changes and trends for the entire Arctic in 2003-2011 derived from EOS Aqua data

[1] The Arctic sea ice acts as a barrier between the ocean and lower atmosphere, reducing the exchange of heat and moisture. In recent years the ice pack has undergone many changes, in particular a rapid reduction in sea ice extent and compactness in summer and autumn. This, along with modeling studies, would cause one to believe that the moisture flux would be increasing. We estimate the daily moisture flux from 2003 to 2011 using geophysical data from multiple sensors onboard NASA's Aqua satellite, taking advantage of observations being collected at the same time and along the same track. Our findings show the moisture flux, averaged over the entire Arctic, has had large interannual variations, with smallest fluxes in 2010, 2003, and 2004, and largest ones in 2007, 2008, and 2005. Increases in air specific humidity tend to reduce the moisture flux, whereas the decrease in sea ice cover tends to increase the flux. Statistically significant seasonal decreasing trends are seen in December, January, and February because of the dominating effect of increase in 2 m air specific humidity increasing, reducing the surface-air specific humidity difference by −0.0547 kg/kg in the Kara/Barents Seas, E. Greenland Sea, and Baffin Bay regions where there is some open water year round. Our results also show that the contribution of the sea ice zone to the total moisture flux (from the open ocean and sea ice zone) has increased by 3.6% because the amount of open water within the sea ice zone has increased by 4.3%.

Decadal trends in abundance, size and condition of Antarctic toothfish in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, 1972–2011

AbstractWe report the analyses of a dataset spanning 39 years of near‐annual fishing for Dissostichus mawsoni in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, 1972–2011. Data on total length, condition and catch per unit effort (CPUE) were derived from the > 5500 fish caught, the large majority of which were measured, tagged and released. Contrary to expectation, the length frequency of the McMurdo Sound catch was dominated by fish in the upper two‐thirds of the overall distribution exhibited in the industrial catch for the Ross Sea shelf. Fish length and condition increased from the early 1970s to the early 1990s and then decreased. Fish length positively correlated with Ross Sea ice extent in early spring, a relationship possibly caused by more ice encouraging larger fish to move farther south over the shelf and into the study area. Fish condition positively correlated with the amount of open water in the Ross Sea during the previous summer (Feb), perhaps reflecting greater availability of prey with the higher productivity that more open water brings. Decreasing fish size corresponds to the onset of the fishery, which targets the large individuals. CPUE was constant through 2001 and then decreased dramatically. We hypothesize that this decrease is related to the industrial fishery, which began in the 1996–97 austral summer, and concentrates effort over the ice‐free Ross Sea continental slope. As a result of limited prey choices and close coupling among mesopredators of the region, Antarctic toothfish included, the fishery appears to be dramatically altering the trophic structure of the Ross Sea.

A Study of Tidal Influences in the North Water Polynya using Short Time Span Satellite Imagery

The North Water Polynya (NOW) is an area of ocean between Greenland and Ellesmere Island that does not freeze completely during the winter months. The mechanism that maintains the polynya during the Arctic winter and early spring is not precisely known, but the presence of open water is a critical factor in allowing oceanic heat to escape into the atmosphere. The northerly location of the NOW permitted the collection of an Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) image every 101 minutes for seven consecutive orbits. The unique, short time span imagery allowed thermal features of the NOW to be mapped over a tidal cycle. The combination of AVHRR imagery, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data, and the Composite Arctic Sea Surface Temperature Algorithm show the dynamic nature of the NOW over a tidal cycle. Both the amount and configuration of open water can change dramatically over a 12-hour period in response to tidal fluctuations. The evidence suggests that the amount of open water in the NOW during March and April is related to the velocity of the current, which in turn is influenced by the tidal cycle. The open water caused by the tide-induced movement of ice then allows oceanic heat to escape into the environment. During March and April, the considerable temperature difference between the ocean and the atmosphere at their interface results in a high incidence of ice fog near leads and open water in the NOW. The amount of ice fog observed on the satellite imagery fluctuates with the tidal cycle, suggesting that open water within the NOW is influenced by the tide in the short term.

Black Tern Nest Habitat Selection and Factors Affecting Nest Success in Northwestern Minnesota

We documented nest habitat selection, nests success, and factors affecting nest success of Black Terns (Chlidonias niger) at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota. During 1992-1994, 289 Black Tern nest sites and 400 random sites were sampled on five search areas totaling 1,325 ha. Four habitat characteristics were measured at each nest and random site: (1) mean water depth, (2) distance to open water, (3) dominant vegetation within a 2-m radius, and (4) amount of open water within a 2-m radius. Habitat variables were highly correlated with each other, making it difficult to estimate independent effects of each habitat variable on nest-site selection. However, conditional logistic regression models indicated that locations closer to open water and in deeper water were more likely to be associated with nest sites. Locations in bulrush (Scirpus acutus) and sedge/grass were preferred, although 68% of nests were in cattail (Typha spp.) reflecting the greater availability of that habitat in the study area. Nest success ranged from 48-69% (Apparent) and 33-62% (Mayfield) among years. Except for five nests that were abandoned or had infertile eggs, nests that failed to hatch apparently were depredated. Nest success was higher for nests with larger clutch sizes and for nests located farther away from other nests. Nests with 3-egg clutches were 2.8 times as likely to hatch as 2-egg nests. The odds of a nest being successful increased by 25% for each 5 m increase in distance to the nearest nest. Earlier nests were also more successful (the odds of a nest being successful was estimated to decrease 7% for each additional day that passed before the nest was initiated). Nest success was not related to nest cluster size and was negatively related to habitat factors associated with nest site-selection.

The Climate of the McMurdo, Antarctica, Region as Represented by One Year of Forecasts from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System*

AbstractIn response to the need for improved weather prediction capabilities in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program’s Antarctic field operations, the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) was implemented in October 2000. AMPS employs a limited-area model, the Polar fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU–NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5), optimized for use over ice sheets. Twice-daily forecasts from the 3.3-km resolution domain of AMPS are joined together to study the climate of the McMurdo region from June 2002 to May 2003. Annual and seasonal distributions of wind direction and speed, 2-m temperature, mean sea level pressure, precipitation, and cloud fraction are presented. This is the first time a model adapted for polar use and with relatively high resolution is used to study the climate of the rugged McMurdo region, allowing several important climatological features to be investigated with unprecedented detail.Orographic effects exert an important influence on the near-surface winds. Time-mean vortices occur in the lee of Ross Island, perhaps a factor in the high incidence of mesoscale cyclogenesis noted in this area. The near-surface temperature gradient is oriented northwest to southeast with the warmest temperatures in the northwest near McMurdo and the gradient being steepest in winter. The first-ever detailed precipitation maps of the region are presented. Orographic precipitation maxima occur on the southerly slopes of Ross Island and in the mountains to the southwest. The source of the moisture is primarily from the large synoptic systems passing to the northeast and east of Ross Island. A precipitation-shadow effect appears to be an important influence on the low precipitation amounts observed in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Total cloud fraction primarily depends on the amount of open water in the Ross Sea; the cloudiest region is to the northeast of Ross Island in the vicinity of the Ross Sea polynya.

Significance of temporal changes when designing a reservoir for conservation of dragonfly diversity

While there has been much focus in biodiversity conservation that transcends place, few studies transcend time. Yet an appreciation of vegetational and hydrological succession is essential for maintaining a habitat that has been created with the aim of conserving a particular group of organisms. This is a study of changes in a dragonfly assemblage over a period of 13 years at a biodiversity-rich, southern hemisphere reservoir. A total of 30 dragonfly species were recorded in this study, compared to 12 species before the reservoir was constructed in 1988, and 26 species in 1993, with 25 species resident in both 1993 and 2001. Two of these are local endemics. One other endemic was lost to succession in 1993 but reappeared in 2001. Three other species never reappeared after succession in 1993, yet six other species appeared after this date. Multivariate analyses identified structural and compositional vegetation, especially marginal forest, percentage vegetation cover, percentage shade, as the most important environmental variables determining dragonfly species composition. Other important environmental variables were grasses of tall, medium and short height categories, submerged vegetation, water flow and amount of open water. Not surprisingly, successional changes in vegetation physiognomy and in water conditions significantly increased Odonata species richness and diversity over the years. More importantly, the study shows that to maintain both high species richness, including endemics, it is essential to maintain a variety of biotopes using selective management of the marginal vegetation without allowing succession to proceed to a point where overgrowth of the bank and silting of the bottom begin to impoverish the fauna.

Passive microwave algorithms for sea ice concentration: A comparison of two techniques

The most comprehensive large-scale characterization of the global sea ice cover so far has been provided by satellite passive microwave data. Accurate retrieval of ice concentrations from these data is important because of the sensitivity of surface flux (e.g., heat, salt, and water) calculations to small changes in the amount of open water (leads and polynyas) within the polar ice packs. Two algorithms that have been used for deriving ice concentrations from multichannel data are compared. One is the NASA Team algorithm and the other is the Bootstrap algorithm, both of which were developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The two algorithms use different channel combinations, reference brightness temperatures, weather filters, and techniques. Analyses are made to evaluate the sensitivity of algorithm results to variations of emissivity and temperature with space and time. To assess the difference in the performance of the two algorithms, analyses were performed with data from both hemispheres and for all seasons. The results show only small differences in the central Arctic in winter but larger disagreements in the seasonal regions and in summer. In some areas in the Antarctic, the Bootstrap technique shows ice concentrations higher than those of the Team algorithm by as much as 25%; whereas, in other areas, it shows ice concentrations lower by as much as 30%. The differences in the results are caused by temperature effects, emissivity effects, and tie point differences. The Team and the Bootstrap results were compared with available Landsat, advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. AVHRR, Landsat, and SAR data sets all yield higher concentrations than the passive microwave algorithms. Inconsistencies among results suggest the need for further validation studies.

The effect of sea-ice parameterizations on the simulation of the Arctic ice pack

A one-dimensional (1-D), thermodynamic sea-ice model with parameterized ice dynamics is coupled to a mixed-layer ocean model and driven with prescribed atmospheric forcings for the central Arctic. The model is used to calculate the sensitivity of the ice pack to various parameterizations that have traditionally been neglected or considered only implicitly in large-scale sea-ice models. The model includes melt ponds, leads (with summertime stratification), an ice-export term, a stability-dependent air–sea heat-exchange coefficient, a prognostic ocean–ice heat exchange, a crude ice-thickness distribution, and a sophisticated albedo parameterization.The ice pack is sensitive to the partitioning of solar energy between lateral melting and mixed-layer warming, with the most realistic simulations occurring when the heat is nearly evenly divided between these two processes. Conversely, ice thickness and coverage are fairly insensitive to the amount of lateral mixing within the upper ocean, vertical mixing within leads, and to the partitioning of mixed-layer heat content between warming the water and melting the ice bottom. The ice concentration during summer is strongly dependent on the assumed ice-thickness distribution: the amount of open water during summer is less than half the size of the empirically based distribution used here, compared with one in which ice floes are distributed uniformly across a range of thicknesses.

The effect of sea-ice parameterizations on the simulation of the Arctic ice pack

A one-dimensional (1-D), thermodynamic sea-ice model with parameterized ice dynamics is coupled to a mixed-layer ocean model and driven with prescribed atmospheric forcings for the central Arctic. The model is used to calculate the sensitivity of the ice pack to various parameterizations that have traditionally been neglected or considered only implicitly in large-scale sea-ice models. The model includes melt ponds, leads (with summertime stratification), an ice-export term, a stability-dependent air–sea heat-exchange coefficient, a prognostic ocean–ice heat exchange, a crude ice-thickness distribution, and a sophisticated albedo parameterization.The ice pack is sensitive to the partitioning of solar energy between lateral melting and mixed-layer warming, with the most realistic simulations occurring when the heat is nearly evenly divided between these two processes. Conversely, ice thickness and coverage are fairly insensitive to the amount of lateral mixing within the upper ocean, vertical mixing within leads, and to the partitioning of mixed-layer heat content between warming the water and melting the ice bottom. The ice concentration during summer is strongly dependent on the assumed ice-thickness distribution: the amount of open water during summer is less than half the size of the empirically based distribution used here, compared with one in which ice floes are distributed uniformly across a range of thicknesses.

Mathematical characteristics of sea ice dynamics models

Mathematical characteristics of plasticity models that describe large‐scale sea ice behavior are studied in an attempt to understand the models better and to compare the analytical results to observed ice behavior. Separate stress and velocity characteristics occur when a nonassociated flow rule is used. The two sets coincide for associated flow rules. The relative orientation of characteristic directions at a point can change depending on the stress state and the direction of plastic stretching. Two real velocity characteristic directions exist when the magnitude of shearing exceeds the magnitude of dilating, one exists when they are equal, and none exist when the shearing magnitude is less than the dilating magnitude. The system is hyperbolic, parabolic, or elliptic, respectively, in these conditions. Quasi‐steady elastic‐plastic and viscous‐plastic models have identical characteristics so that we cannot use the characteristics to discriminate between these models. Attention has been focused on the velocity characteristics with the desire to relate these directions directly to leads and other features observed in satellite imagery. The velocity characteristic curves cannot stretch, so that floes lying along a characteristic line neither approach nor separate from each other. Therefore the amount of open water will not change between these floes, which makes it unlikely that we will be able to observe fields of characteristic directions directly in satellite imagery. We have, however, observed velocity discontinuities across large‐scale lead systems, which are special characteristic curves. This result offers a way to use remotely sensed imagery directly to estimate part of the deformation field.

Variations in the Arctic, Antarctic, and global sea ice covers during 1978–1987 as observed with the Nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer

The extent and area of sea ice and the amount of open water within the ice boundaries have been computed for the Arctic, Antarctic, and global ice covers every 2 days from November 1978 to August 1987 utilizing the Nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) observations. During this 9‐year period, no significant trends were found in the ice areas of the Arctic and Antarctic packs or in their sum, the global ice area. Also, no significant trends were found in the maxima and minima of the annual ice extents for either polar pack. However, during these 9 years, significant negative trends were found in the annual global ice extent maxima (5%) and in the annual maxima of the global open water area within the sea ice boundaries (7–14%). Significant negative trends were also found in the annual open water maxima in the Antarctic (5–10%) and the annual open water minima in the Arctic (13–23%). The open water within the ice boundaries averaged approximately 14% in the Arctic and 18% in the Antarctic, at the time of their maximum extents. This negative trend in the global ice extent maxima during 1978–1987 also occurred during 1973–1976, found by an analysis of the monochromatic microwave observations obtained by the Nimbus 5 satellite. The combined 15‐year negative trend is 6%. A significant change between the 1973–1976 and the 1978–1987 periods in the Antarctic ice pack is that the very large polynya that formed and persisted in the Weddell Sea during three out of four of the austral winters in the earlier period did not form in any of the 9 years of the latter period. This study, in conjunction with recent studies of global temperature change, lends support to the thesis that climatic changes in the global average temperature might be detectable by observing variations in global sea ice extent.

Modeling a Variable Thickness Sea Ice Cover

A numerical framework suitable for simulating a variable thickness sea ice cover over a seasonal cycle is presented. This framework is largely based on the ice thickness distribution model developed by Thorndike et al. (1975). However, the numerical scheme is more general and certain additional developments are included. Namely, a fixed depth mixed-layer formulation including open water heat absorption and lateral melting terms is added, and a mechanical redistribution function consistent with hypothesized and observed physics of the ridging process is proposed. The numerical scheme is formulated in a fixed Eulerian grid and allows an arbitrary number of irregularly spaced thickness levels to be considered. Using this numerical framework in conjunction with a previously developed dynamical model (Hibler, 1979) and a thermodynamic model similar to that of Semtner (1975), a seasonal equilibrium simulation of the Arctic Basin ice cover is carried out. This simulation is performed by doing a 5-year numerical integration at 1-day time steps. Shorter sensitivity simulations are also carried out using the fourth year equilibrium simulation results as initial conditions. Input fields include mean monthly air temperatures and dew points for the heat budget computations together with time-varying observed winds over a 1-year period. The equilibrium simulation produces realistic geographical ice thickness variations with April ice thicknesses in excess of 7 m along the Canadian Archipelago and thicknesses of ∼2 m along the Alaskan North Slope. These spatial variations are in good agreement with submarine sonar estimates. In summer a substantial ice-free region forms off the Alaskan and Siberian coasts. While the geographical shape of this edge is in agreement with observations, the amounts of open water (750 km off the Alaskan North Slope in mid August) were excessive. However, only a small (10%) change in the ice albedo under melting conditions yields a much more realistic ice edge in a sensitivity simulation. Geographical changes in the ice thickness characteristics took about 3 years to fully develop. This evolution included the formation of a “shear zone” of higher annual ridge production ∼400 km off the Canadian Archipelago in agreement with ice roughness observations. Simulated mass balance characteristics are significantly affected by ice deformation and ridging. Over 40% of the basin-averaged ice production for January is due to growth over thin ice (<1 m) largely produced by deformation. Over an annual cycle an equivalent thickness of more than 0.5 m of ice is transferred by ridging to categories thicker than 5.17 m. Spatial variations in ridging and open water creation cause a net annual ice ablation of over 1 m of ice off the Canadian Archipelago concomitant with a net annual growth of over 1.8 m off the Alaskan coast. Ice velocity fields were realistic in shape but ∼25% too large in magnitude when compared to net ice station drift over a year. This velocity discrepancy is probably due to rather small central basin ice strengths (∼1.5×104 N m−1 in January). However, increasing the frictional losses assumed in the ridging process by an order of magnitude yields unrealistically small ice velocities in a sensitivity study and results in an almost total stoppage of ice flow in April and May. The sensitivity simulation also has a reduced average annual ice export rate of ∼0.04 Sv as compared to ∼0.09 Sv for the equilibrium simulation.

Meteorological Factors Affecting Interannual Variability of Summertime lce Extent in the Beaufort Sea

Abstract The relationship between meteorological factors, measured at Barrow, Alaska, and summertime Beaufort Sea ice conditions along the shipping route between Pt. Barrow and Prudhoe Bay was investigated using data available from 1953–1975. Light-ice summers are associated with higher than normal sea level pressure (SLP) northeast of the Beaufort Sea (centered on 80°N, 120°W), lower than normal SLP over the east Siberian Sea and with more frequent surface winds primarily from the directions 135–195°. A reversal in this pressure and wind direction pattern occurs during heavy-ice summers. Air temperature, in the form of thawing degree days (TDD's), is the parameter most highly correlated with the summertime ice margin distance (r = 0.815) and it is highly correlated with SLP and wind direction. Correlation coefficients between these meteorological factors and ice margin distance increase during the summer suggesting their increasing importance to melt processes with time. The amount of open water by late ...

Observations of Arctic Sea Ice Dynamics Using the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1)

This study shows that ERTS-l, launched by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration in July 1972, can be used to make synoptic observations of dynamic changes in arctic sea ice .... Each data swath of ERTS-l is 185 kilometres wide at the surface and is repeated once every 18 days. ... Because of a near-polar orbit, this sidelap increases to over 80 per cent at arctic latitudes. As a consequence of this large sidelap, the tracking of individual ice features for periods up to 5 or 6 days is permitted. The ERTS-1 Multispectral Scanner Subsystem (MSS) records data by simultaneously scanning across the satellite track in 4 spectral bands. The wavelength limits of the 4 bands are: green (0.5-0.6 µm), red (0.6-0.7 µm), and two near infrared bands (0.7-0.8 µm and 0.8-1.1 µm). The nominal spatial resolution for all 4 bands is 80 metres. A standard ERTS-1 photographic format has an image scale of nearly 1:1,000,000, which is convenient for direct comparison with available maps. Hendriksen Strait, the passage between Amund Ringnes Island and Cornwall Island at about 77°45' N and 95°00' W constituted the study area; it is in the Queen Elizabeth Islands of Arctic Canada, and is one of the most enticing and promising areas of recent oil and gas strikes. ... during a 6-day period from 23 to 28 August, ERTS-1 provided 5 days of coverage of Hendriksen Strait. Various types of sea ice can be identified in the ERTS-l imagery (0.6-0.7 µm band) .... In such a sequence of observations, a number of sea ice changes with time are detectable. Changes in position of individual ice floes can easily be translated to velocity. A number of ice floes were tracked over the 5-day period and their velocities calculated. The average velocity for ice floe movement was 8.5 kilometres/day .... ERTS-l can be used to study ice floe morphology and dynamics in the Beaufort Sea at time scales of several days to months. Repeated observations of individual ice floes such as those available here will also allow calculation of the ablation of the ice mass, in this case the decrease of surface area with time. ... The ice cover, i.e. the relative amount of sea ice present in a given area, is important for shipping purposes and air-sea interaction processes. The ice cover in Hendriksen Strait on 23 August was approximately 7/10, decreasing to 2/10 by 28 August. This type of sea ice change is easily observed from ERTS-1 .... In regard to the delineation of navigation routes through sea ice, the detection of active melting on the surface of the ice would indicate areas likely to be ice free in the near future. ERTS-1 has the ability to do this through observations of reflectance variability both temporally and spectrally. The second method of observing the sea ice reflectance change is provided by comparing two separate images made at the same time but in different spectral bands. ... Because the absorption of solar radiation by water is much greater in the near infrared than in the visible portion of the spectrum, the lower reflectance is again probably due to the presence of melt-water on the surface of the ice. Thus sea ice with water on it, even in very thin layers, will show a considerable difference in reflectance between these spectral bands of observation. ... Temporal and spectral observations of reflectance variations afforded by ERTS-l thus make it possible to locate areas of sea ice that are in varying stages of melting and breakup. The results presented here demonstrate that for high latitudes, ERTS-1 will provide overlapping coverage on sequential days that will allow observation of dynamic changes in the polar regions. In addition, route planning for shipping in the Arctic should benefit from frequent observations of sea ice movement and reflectance variations of the type obtainable from ERTS-l. Projected further, sea ice observations from ERTS-l over a period of years in the Arctic Islands should aid in the placement of offshore oil-drilling structures. Reflectance measurements over this period will also increase our understanding of the heat balance in the polar regions. Finally, ERTS-l observations of the amount of ice cover versus the amount of open water will be important in determining boundary conditions for future use in models of the global heat balance.