Size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the Antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter
In the marginal sea ice zone (MIZ), where relatively small ice floes are dominant, the floe size distribution is an important parameter affecting melt processes given the larger cumulative perimeter of multiple small floes compared with a single ice floe of the same area. Smaller ice floes are there...
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fthokunivhus:oai:eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp:2115/46199 2023-05-15T13:42:37+02:00 Size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the Antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter Toyota, Takenobu Haas, Christian Tamura, Takeshi http://hdl.handle.net/2115/46199 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.10.034 eng eng Elsevier http://hdl.handle.net/2115/46199 Deep Sea Research Part II : Topical Studies in Oceanography, 58(9-10): 1182-1193 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.10.034 Sea ice Floe size distribution Ocean-ice-atmosphere system Ice melting Marginal ice zone Scale invariance 452 article (author version) fthokunivhus https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.10.034 2022-11-18T01:02:12Z In the marginal sea ice zone (MIZ), where relatively small ice floes are dominant, the floe size distribution is an important parameter affecting melt processes given the larger cumulative perimeter of multiple small floes compared with a single ice floe of the same area. Smaller ice floes are therefore subject to increased lateral melt. However, the available data have been very limited so far. Analysis of sea ice in the Sea of Okhotsk revealed that while floe size distribution is basically scale invariant, a regime shift occurs at a size of about 40 m. In order to extend this preliminary result to the Antarctic MIZ and further examine the controlling factors, the first concurrent ice floe size and ice thickness measurements were conducted in the northwestern Weddell Sea and off Wilkes Land (around 64°S, 117°E) with a heli-borne digital video camera in the late winter of 2006 and 2007, respectively. The floe sizes ranged from 2 to 100 m. Our analysis shows: 1) the scale invariance and regime shift are confirmed in both regions; 2) the floe size at which regime shift occurs slightly increases from 20 to 40 m with ice thickness, consistent with the theory of the flexural failure of sea ice; and 3) the aspect ratio is 1.6-1.9 on average, close to the previous results. Based on these results, the processes affecting the floe size distribution and the subsequent implications on melt processes are discussed. By applying a renormalization group method to interpret the scale invariance in floe size distribution, the fractal dimension is related to the fragility of sea ice. These results indicate the importance of wave-ice interaction in determining the floe size distribution. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Sea ice Weddell Sea Wilkes Land Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers (HUSCAP) Antarctic Okhotsk The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea Wilkes Land ENVELOPE(120.000,120.000,-69.000,-69.000) Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 58 9-10 1182 1193 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers (HUSCAP) |
op_collection_id |
fthokunivhus |
language |
English |
topic |
Sea ice Floe size distribution Ocean-ice-atmosphere system Ice melting Marginal ice zone Scale invariance 452 |
spellingShingle |
Sea ice Floe size distribution Ocean-ice-atmosphere system Ice melting Marginal ice zone Scale invariance 452 Toyota, Takenobu Haas, Christian Tamura, Takeshi Size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the Antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter |
topic_facet |
Sea ice Floe size distribution Ocean-ice-atmosphere system Ice melting Marginal ice zone Scale invariance 452 |
description |
In the marginal sea ice zone (MIZ), where relatively small ice floes are dominant, the floe size distribution is an important parameter affecting melt processes given the larger cumulative perimeter of multiple small floes compared with a single ice floe of the same area. Smaller ice floes are therefore subject to increased lateral melt. However, the available data have been very limited so far. Analysis of sea ice in the Sea of Okhotsk revealed that while floe size distribution is basically scale invariant, a regime shift occurs at a size of about 40 m. In order to extend this preliminary result to the Antarctic MIZ and further examine the controlling factors, the first concurrent ice floe size and ice thickness measurements were conducted in the northwestern Weddell Sea and off Wilkes Land (around 64°S, 117°E) with a heli-borne digital video camera in the late winter of 2006 and 2007, respectively. The floe sizes ranged from 2 to 100 m. Our analysis shows: 1) the scale invariance and regime shift are confirmed in both regions; 2) the floe size at which regime shift occurs slightly increases from 20 to 40 m with ice thickness, consistent with the theory of the flexural failure of sea ice; and 3) the aspect ratio is 1.6-1.9 on average, close to the previous results. Based on these results, the processes affecting the floe size distribution and the subsequent implications on melt processes are discussed. By applying a renormalization group method to interpret the scale invariance in floe size distribution, the fractal dimension is related to the fragility of sea ice. These results indicate the importance of wave-ice interaction in determining the floe size distribution. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Toyota, Takenobu Haas, Christian Tamura, Takeshi |
author_facet |
Toyota, Takenobu Haas, Christian Tamura, Takeshi |
author_sort |
Toyota, Takenobu |
title |
Size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the Antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter |
title_short |
Size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the Antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter |
title_full |
Size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the Antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter |
title_fullStr |
Size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the Antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter |
title_full_unstemmed |
Size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the Antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter |
title_sort |
size distribution and shape properties of relatively small sea-ice floes in the antarctic marginal ice zone in late winter |
publisher |
Elsevier |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2115/46199 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.10.034 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(120.000,120.000,-69.000,-69.000) |
geographic |
Antarctic Okhotsk The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea Wilkes Land |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Okhotsk The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea Wilkes Land |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Sea ice Weddell Sea Wilkes Land |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Sea ice Weddell Sea Wilkes Land |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/2115/46199 Deep Sea Research Part II : Topical Studies in Oceanography, 58(9-10): 1182-1193 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.10.034 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.10.034 |
container_title |
Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography |
container_volume |
58 |
container_issue |
9-10 |
container_start_page |
1182 |
op_container_end_page |
1193 |
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1766170134254190592 |