Investigating changes in sea ice lead density in the Northwest Passage using satellite altimetry and optical imagery ...

<!--!introduction!--> Leads are narrow, dynamic openings within the sea ice pack. They are of vital importance for heat and moisture exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean, and their distribution and geometry can affect the movement and stability of the surrounding ice. Furthermore, lea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature Communications
Main Authors: Swiggs, Amy, Shepherd, Andrew, Lawrence, Isobel
Format: Conference Object
Language:unknown
Published: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.57757/iugg23-2593
https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5019294
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Summary:<!--!introduction!--> Leads are narrow, dynamic openings within the sea ice pack. They are of vital importance for heat and moisture exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean, and their distribution and geometry can affect the movement and stability of the surrounding ice. Furthermore, leads are essential for providing safe shipping routes, with sea ice being hazardous to transiting ships. The identification of leads is also crucial for calculating sea ice freeboard from satellite altimetry because the correct discrimination of leads and floes allows the sea surface height to be determined, which is an essential component of sea ice freeboard and thickness calculation. Inaccurate discrimination of leads can therefore lead to systematic errors in estimates of sea ice thickness. Here, we investigate changes in the density and distribution of leads in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, with a focus on the Northwest Passage due to its strategic and economic interest as a shipping route. Leads and floes ... : The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023) ...