Grounded Ice in the Fast Ice Zone along the Beaufort Seacoast of Alaska

• Main Author: Kovacs,Austin
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER N H
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1976
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *ICE; *SEA ICE; *BEAUFORT SEA; *ICE ISLANDS; *ICE REPORTING; DENSITY; TEMPERATURE; THICKNESS; COASTAL REGIONS; ALASKA; SURFACE ROUGHNESS; ICE FORMATION; METEOROLOGICAL RADAR; SALINITY; SONAR; BRINES; SIDE LOOKING RADAR; CORE SAMPLING; PACK ICE; *Harrison Bay; Prudhoe Bay; Beaufort Sea; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA031352; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA031352

Four large grounded multi-year shear ridge formations were found in the grounded ice subzone of the fast ice zone near the Harrison Bay/Prudhoe Bay area of Alaska. A 166-m-long cross section of one of these formations was obtained by leveling and sonar measurements. These measurements revealed that the maximum ridge height was 12.6 m and that the formation was grounded in 17-18 m of water. The salinity, temperature, brine volume and density of the ice were determined on samples obtained by coring. The physical characteristics of the formations as observed in satellite, SLAR and aerial imagery indicate that these formations have not moved between the time of their formation in the fall of 1974 and August of 1976. Evidence of significant aeolian debris discoloring the ice is discussed.