Air-Sea Interactions in the Marginal Ice Zone
AbstractThe importance of waves in the Arctic Ocean has increased with the significant retreat of the seasonalsea-ice extent. Here, we use wind, wave, turbulence, and ice measurements to evaluate the response of theocean surface to a given wind stress within the marginal ice zone, with a focus on th...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD1035130 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD1035130 |
| Summary: | AbstractThe importance of waves in the Arctic Ocean has increased with the significant retreat of the seasonalsea-ice extent. Here, we use wind, wave, turbulence, and ice measurements to evaluate the response of theocean surface to a given wind stress within the marginal ice zone, with a focus on the local wind input towaves and subsequent ocean surface turbulence. Observations are from the Beaufort Sea in the summerand early fall of 2014, with fractional ice cover of up to 50%. Observations showed strong damping andscattering of short waves, which, in turn, decreased the wind energy input to waves. Near-surface turbulentdissipation rates were also greatly reduced in partial ice cover. The reductions in waves and turbulence werebalanced, suggesting that a wind-wave equilibrium is maintained in the marginal ice zone, though at levelsmuch less than in open water. These results suggest that air-sea interactions are suppressed in the marginalice zone relative to open ocean conditions at a given wind forcing, and this suppression may act as a feedbackmechanism in expanding a persistent marginal ice zone throughout the Arctic. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene , 01 Jan 0001, 01 Jan 0001 |
|---|