Variability and changes of Arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited
Changes in the mean sea ice thickness and concentration in the Arctic are well known. However, quantitative information about changes in the ice thickness distribution and the composition of the pack ice is lacking. In this paper we determine the ice draft distributions, mean and modal thicknesses,...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5fffb0ce30e64c10921c7b95ee0f2641 2023-05-15T14:46:06+02:00 Variability and changes of Arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited J. Haapala A. Oikkonen 2011-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-917-2011 https://doaj.org/article/5fffb0ce30e64c10921c7b95ee0f2641 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/5/917/2011/tc-5-917-2011.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-5-917-2011 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/5fffb0ce30e64c10921c7b95ee0f2641 The Cryosphere, Vol 5, Iss 4, Pp 917-929 (2011) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2011 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-917-2011 2022-12-31T08:20:18Z Changes in the mean sea ice thickness and concentration in the Arctic are well known. However, quantitative information about changes in the ice thickness distribution and the composition of the pack ice is lacking. In this paper we determine the ice draft distributions, mean and modal thicknesses, and their regional and seasonal variability in the Arctic for the time period 1975–2000. We compare characteristics of the Arctic pack ice for the years 1975–1987 and 1988–2000. These periods represent different large-scale atmospheric circulation modes and sea ice circulation patterns, most evident in clearly weaker Beaufort Gyre and stronger as well as westward shifted Transpolar Drift during the later period. The comparison of these two periods reveals that the peak of sea ice draft distributions has narrowed and shifted toward thinner ice, with reductions in both mean and modal ice draft. These noticeable changes are attributed to the loss of thick, mostly deformed ice. Springtime, loss of ice volume with draft greater than 5 m exceeds 35 % in all regions except the Nansen Basin, with as much as 45 % or more at the North Pole and in the Eastern Arctic. Autumn volume reduction, mostly of deformed ice, exceeds 40 % in the Canada Basin only, but is above 30 % also in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. During the later period, the volume of ice category consisting thin, mostly level first-year ice, is clearly larger than during the former period, especially in the spring. In the Beaufort Sea region, changes in the composition of ice cover have resulted in a shift of modal draft from level multiyear ice draft range to values of level first-year ice. The regional and seasonal variability of sea ice draft has decreased, since the thinning has been most pronounced in regions with the thickest pack ice (the Western Arctic), and during the spring (0.6–0.8 m per decade). Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Beaufort Sea canada basin Chukchi Nansen Basin North Pole Sea ice The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Canada North Pole The Cryosphere 5 4 917 929 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
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Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 J. Haapala A. Oikkonen Variability and changes of Arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Changes in the mean sea ice thickness and concentration in the Arctic are well known. However, quantitative information about changes in the ice thickness distribution and the composition of the pack ice is lacking. In this paper we determine the ice draft distributions, mean and modal thicknesses, and their regional and seasonal variability in the Arctic for the time period 1975–2000. We compare characteristics of the Arctic pack ice for the years 1975–1987 and 1988–2000. These periods represent different large-scale atmospheric circulation modes and sea ice circulation patterns, most evident in clearly weaker Beaufort Gyre and stronger as well as westward shifted Transpolar Drift during the later period. The comparison of these two periods reveals that the peak of sea ice draft distributions has narrowed and shifted toward thinner ice, with reductions in both mean and modal ice draft. These noticeable changes are attributed to the loss of thick, mostly deformed ice. Springtime, loss of ice volume with draft greater than 5 m exceeds 35 % in all regions except the Nansen Basin, with as much as 45 % or more at the North Pole and in the Eastern Arctic. Autumn volume reduction, mostly of deformed ice, exceeds 40 % in the Canada Basin only, but is above 30 % also in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. During the later period, the volume of ice category consisting thin, mostly level first-year ice, is clearly larger than during the former period, especially in the spring. In the Beaufort Sea region, changes in the composition of ice cover have resulted in a shift of modal draft from level multiyear ice draft range to values of level first-year ice. The regional and seasonal variability of sea ice draft has decreased, since the thinning has been most pronounced in regions with the thickest pack ice (the Western Arctic), and during the spring (0.6–0.8 m per decade). |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
J. Haapala A. Oikkonen |
author_facet |
J. Haapala A. Oikkonen |
author_sort |
J. Haapala |
title |
Variability and changes of Arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited |
title_short |
Variability and changes of Arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited |
title_full |
Variability and changes of Arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited |
title_fullStr |
Variability and changes of Arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited |
title_full_unstemmed |
Variability and changes of Arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited |
title_sort |
variability and changes of arctic sea ice draft distribution – submarine sonar measurements revisited |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-917-2011 https://doaj.org/article/5fffb0ce30e64c10921c7b95ee0f2641 |
geographic |
Arctic Canada North Pole |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada North Pole |
genre |
Arctic Beaufort Sea canada basin Chukchi Nansen Basin North Pole Sea ice The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Arctic Beaufort Sea canada basin Chukchi Nansen Basin North Pole Sea ice The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 5, Iss 4, Pp 917-929 (2011) |
op_relation |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/5/917/2011/tc-5-917-2011.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-5-917-2011 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/5fffb0ce30e64c10921c7b95ee0f2641 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-917-2011 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
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5 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
917 |
op_container_end_page |
929 |
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1766317375268847616 |