| Summary: | The Laptev Sea is the main source area of ice for the Arctic Basin (Transpolar Drift). Dynamic factors strongly affect the distribution and variability of the ice cover in this area. Remote sensing data are the most important source of information about Arctic sea ice, obtained daily and covering all Arctic regions. However, the interpretation of satellite images requires calibration by synchronous data of visual observations. Two observational data sets are used in the present research: unique visual data from six high-latitude cruises (research vessel "Akademik Fedorov", icebreaker "Kapitan Dranitsyn") and passive microwave (AMSR) data. A comparative analysis of ice concentration from visual observations and satellite images shows significant differences near the ice edge, while the two datasets agree well in the open water and ice-covered regions. The interannual variabilities of sea-ice concentration and thickness were analyzed for summer periods of 2000-2005. During the last five years the most difficult ice situation was observed in the Laptev Sea in 2004, and 2005 was marked as the year of smallest sea-ice extent in relation to the mean annual values. A detailed research of interannual variability of summer sea-ice characteristics in the Laptev Sea in 2000-2005 is presented in the report.
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