A comprehensive view of Kara Sea polynya dynamics, sea-ice compactness and export from model and remote sensing data
The Shelf Seas of the Arctic are known for their large sea-ice production. This paper presents a comprehensive view of the Kara Sea sea-ice cover from high-resolution numerical modeling and space-borne microwave radiometry. As given by the latter the average polynya area in the Kara Sea takes a valu...
| Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2005
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0011-FE91-C http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0011-FE90-E |
| Summary: | The Shelf Seas of the Arctic are known for their large sea-ice production. This paper presents a comprehensive view of the Kara Sea sea-ice cover from high-resolution numerical modeling and space-borne microwave radiometry. As given by the latter the average polynya area in the Kara Sea takes a value of 21.2 x 10³ km² ± 9.1 x 10³ km² for winters (Jan.–Apr.) 1996/97 to 2000/01, being as high as 32.0 x 10³km² in 1999/2000 and below 12 x 10³ km² in 1998/99. Day-to-day variations of the Kara Sea polynya area can be as high as 50 x 10³ km². For the seasons 1996/ 97 to 2000/01 the modeled cumulative winter ice-volume flux out of the Kara Sea varied between 100 km³a¹ and 350 km³a¹. Modeled high (low) ice export coincides with a high (low) average and cumulative polynya area, and with a low (high) sea-ice compactness in the Kara Sea from remote sensing data, and with a high (low) sea-ice drift speed across its northern boundary derived from independent model data for the winters 1996/97 to 2000/01 |
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