A Model Investigation of Interannual Sea-Ice Variability in the Beaufort Sea

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Author: Ross, Becky
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1984
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Beaufort Sea; Journal of Glaciology; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000005967; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000005967

Abstract Model-generated ice-thickness fields for the period 1961–80 are examined in the context of summertime sea-ice predictability in the Beaufort Sea. The correspondence between the modeled and observed fluctuations of ice-covered area is found to be quite good. Lag correlation coefficients based on departures from 20 year “normals” of the ice thicknesses show that the ice anomalies are persistent throughout the August–May period. However, because the thickness anomalies undergo large fluctuations during July and August, only a small amount of summertime predictability can be derived from the thickness data. The findings are consistent with the observational results of Rogers (1978), who found that summertime temperatures and wind directions accounted for much of the variability of Beaufort Sea ice during August and September.