Physical and Structural Characteristics of Weddell Sea Pack Ice

During February and March 1980 the physical properties of Weddell Sea pack ice were investigated via core drilling of 66 floes located along the transect of 600 nautical miles from 64 deg S to 74 deg S latitude at roughly 40 deg W longitude. These studies revealed widespread frazil ice in amounts no...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gow, Anthony J, Ackley, Stephen F, Buck, Kurt R, Golden, Kenneth M
Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1987
Subjects:
Snow
Ice and Permafrost
*PACK ICE
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
ARCTIC OCEAN
ARCTIC REGIONS
MARINE BIOLOGY
CONSISTENCY
CORES
DRILLING
FLUORESCENCE
ICE
ICE FORMATION
MELTING
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SALINITY
SEA ICE
STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES
SUMMER
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SURFACES
THICKNESS
TURBULENCE
SEA WATER
Weddell Sea
Frazil ice
Antarctic
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Weddell
Antarc*
Arctic Basin
Ice
permafrost
Sea ice
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA188189
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA188189
Description
Summary:During February and March 1980 the physical properties of Weddell Sea pack ice were investigated via core drilling of 66 floes located along the transect of 600 nautical miles from 64 deg S to 74 deg S latitude at roughly 40 deg W longitude. These studies revealed widespread frazil ice in amounts not known to exist in Arctic sea ice of comparable age and thickness. It is estimated from structure studies of 62 of the 66 floes that 54% of the total ice production of the Weddell Sea is generated as frazil. The disposition and exceptional thickness of the frazil show that mechanisms other than surface turbulence effects are involved and imply that the circulation and structure of the water in the upper levels pf the Weddell Sea are significantly different from those in the Arctic basin. Salinities of both first-year and multi-year floes are notably higher than those of their Arctic counterparts because summer surface melting is rare or absent in the Weddell Sea; in the Arctic, downward percolating meltwater flushes through the ice and lowers its salinity. Fluorescence was evaluated as a means of revealing biological activity in Weddell Sea pack ice. It proved useful as an index of combined living and dead material in the ice, but measurements failed to establish any consistent relationship between fluorescence and salinity as suggested be earlier work in the Weddell Sea.

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