Helicopter-borne sea ice thickness measurements in the Storfjord, Spitsbergen from flight HEM_STJ06_01 ...

• Main Authors: Hendricks, Stefan, Gerland, Sebastian, Smedsrud, Lars Henrik, Haas, Christian, Pfaffhuber, Andreas A, Nilsen, F
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: DATE/TIME; LATITUDE; LONGITUDE; Sea ice thickness; Electro-magnetic Bird EM-Bird; Airborne electromagnetic EM induction sounding; Storfjorden 2006; Aircraft; Barents Sea; Sea ice; Storfjorden; Svalbard; Spitsbergen
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.778258; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.778258

Results from electromagnetic induction surveys of sea-ice thickness in Storfjorden, Svalbard, reveal large interannual ice-thickness variations in a region which is typically characterized by a reoccurring polynya. The surveys were performed in March 2003, May 2006 and March 2007 with helicopter- and ship-based sensors. The thickness distributions are influenced by sea-ice and atmospheric boundary conditions 2 months prior to the surveys, which are assessed with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, regional QuikSCAT backscatter maps and wind information from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis dataset. Locally formed thin ice from the Storfjorden polynya was frequently observed in 2003 and 2007 (mean thickness 0.55 and 0.37 m, respectively) because these years were characterized by prevailing northeasterly winds. In contrast, the entire fjord was covered with thick external sea ice in 2006 (mean thickness 2.21 m), when ice from the Barents Sea was driven into the fjord ... : Supplement to: Hendricks, Stefan; Gerland, Sebastian; Smedsrud, Lars Henrik; Haas, Christian; Pfaffhuber, Andreas A; Nilsen, F (2011): Sea-ice thickness variability in Storfjorden, Svalbard. Annals of Glaciology, 52(57), 61-68 ...