Ice Mechanics and Structures
Abstract Icebergs and sea ice constitute a major hazard to marine and offshore operations. This contribution is to provide a brief overview on the main features and issues associated with marine ice, in particular sea ice, both from the practical perspective of navigating through ice and from the vi...
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| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2017
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118476406.emoe132 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2F9781118476406.emoe132 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781118476406.emoe132 |
| Summary: | Abstract Icebergs and sea ice constitute a major hazard to marine and offshore operations. This contribution is to provide a brief overview on the main features and issues associated with marine ice, in particular sea ice, both from the practical perspective of navigating through ice and from the viewpoint of its role as a physical component in the Earth's climate system. In terms of ice structures, thermodynamically grown level ice is principally different from dynamically (mechanically) formed pressure ridges. The latter constitute major obstacles for navigation. For easy navigation, ship routing follows open water within sea ice (leads and polynyas). From the climate system perspective, these are major sites of air–sea interaction and deep‐ocean ventilation. Sea ice is routinely being monitored through satellite remote sensing, products of which are used for ice forecasting as well as for verification of large‐scale numerical models used for climate studies. As a result of fossil fuel burning, Arctic sea ice is trending downward such that the Arctic Ocean will become more accessible in summer and fall over the next decades. Even though the fraction of multiyear ice is expected to decrease, winter and spring conditions will presumably remain severe throughout this century. |
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