Supplementary material from "Multi-scale satellite observations of Arctic sea ice: new insight into the life cycle of the floe size distribution" ...

• Main Authors: Hwang, Byongjun, Wang, Yanan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Royal Society 2022
• Subjects: Arctic; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6135535; https://rs.figshare.com/collections/Supplementary_material_from_Multi-scale_satellite_observations_of_Arctic_sea_ice_new_insight_into_the_life_cycle_of_the_floe_size_distribution_/6135535

This study provides a new conceptional framework to understand the life cycle of the floe size distribution of Arctic sea ice and the associated processes. We derived the floe size distribution from selected multi-scale satellite imagery data acquired from different locations and times in the Arctic. Our study identifies three stages of the floe size evolution during summer – ‘fracturing’, ‘transition’ and ‘melt/wave fragmentation’. Fracturing defines the initial floe size distribution ( N ∼ d −α , where d is floe size) formed from the spring breakup, characterized by the single power-law regime over d = 30–3000 m with α ≍ 2. The initial floe size distribution is then modified by various floe fragmentation processes during the transition period, which is characterized by ‘selective’ fragmentation of large floes ( d > 200–300 m) with variable α = 2.5–3.5 depending on the degree of fragmentation. As ice melt intensifies, the melt fragmentation expands the single power-law regime into smaller floes ( d = 70 ...