Arctic polynya regions: Daily polynya area and ice production for 2002/2003 to 2017/2018

• Main Authors: Preußer, Andreas, Ohshima, Kay I, Iwamoto, Katsushi, Willmes, Sascha, Heinemann, Günther
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2019
• Subjects: AMSR-E; Arctic; Area; Beaufort shelf; BSH; CAA; Canadian Arctic Archipelago; Cape Bathurst Polynya; CATS; CATS - The Changing Arctic Transpolar System; CBP; CHU; Chukchi Sea; DATE/TIME; derived from AMSR-E passive microwave data; derived from MODIS remote sensing data; East-Siberian Fast-ice; East Siberian Sea; ESF; ESS; Event label; FJL; Franz Josef Land; GLN; Greenland North; KAR; Kara Sea; LAP; Laptev Sea; Latitude of event; Longitude of event; MODIS; Nares Strait/Lincoln Sea; NEWP; North-East Water polynya; North Water polynya; NOW; NSL; Optional event label; Polynya; remote sensing; Sea ice; Sea ice production; Severnaya Zemlya North; STO; Storfjorden polynya; SVA; Svalbard archipelago; SZN; Western Novaya Zemlya; Arctic Archipelago; Chukchi; Greenland; laptev; Lincoln Sea; Nares strait; Novaya Zemlya; Severnaya Zemlya; Storfjorden; Svalbard
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.899854; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.899854

A precise knowledge of wintertime sea-ice production in Arctic polynyas is not only required to enhance our understanding of atmosphere - sea-ice - ocean interactions, but also to verify frequently utilized climate and ocean models. In this study, a high-resolution (2km) MODIS thermal infrared satellite data set featuring spatial and temporal characteristics of 17 Arctic polynya regions (see attached overview map) for the winter seasons 2002/2003 to 2017/2018 is directly compared to a similar data set based on AMSR-E passive microwave data (available for 2002/2003 to 2010/2011). The MODIS data set is purely based on a 1D energy balance model, where thin-ice thicknesses (up to 20cm) are directly derived from ice-surface temperature swath data and ERA-Interim atmospheric reanalysis data on a quasi-daily basis. A gap-filling approach is applied to account for cloud and data gaps in the MODIS composites. Estimation of the thin-ice thickness in the AMSR-E data set is based on an empirical approach that utilizes a distinct polarization ratio (PR) - ice thickness relationship. More detailed information on the retrieval of the data can be found in the referenced publication.