A tool to evaluate accessibility due to sea-ice cover: a case study of the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

• Published in: Antarctic Science
• Main Authors: Pehlke, Hendrik, Brey, Thomas, Konijnenberg, Rebecca, Teschke, Katharina
• Other Authors: German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2022
• Subjects: Geology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Oceanography; Arctic; Southern Ocean; Weddell Sea; Weddell; Antarc*; Antarctic Science; Antarctica; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102021000523; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102021000523

Abstract Sea ice is the major constraint on human activities in the Southern Ocean. Depending on a vessel's ice class, human mobility may be restricted or even prevented altogether by sea-ice conditions. This may imply limited access to research or monitoring stations, preferred fishing grounds or attractive tourist sites. Here, we introduce a statistical model that evaluates the sea-ice cover with two measures: 1) accessibility (i.e. the probability that a given area is navigable by vessels at a given time) and 2) repeated accessibility (i.e. the probability that a given area is navigable by vessels at a given time and again at least once within a defined timespan). We use daily sea-ice concentration data from 2002 to 2020 to demonstrate this tool and its functioning regarding the spatiotemporal variability of sea-ice cover in the wider Weddell Sea region. These findings reflect known characteristics of sea-ice distribution and dynamics in the Weddell Sea, confirming the functionality of our simple tool for determining repeated accessibility of certain areas. Such a tool may facilitate the planning of research and monitoring activities in the Southern Ocean, as well as in Arctic seas.