The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice
During the spring‐to‐summer transition, the snow cover on Arctic sea ice melts and meltwater pools on the surface to form melt ponds; however, the timing and extent of the ponding vary between years. In Dease Strait (Nunavut), this transition was particularly dramatic in 2014 when on 18 June meltwat...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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Language: | English |
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2018
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1983/8af35c6f-a687-464b-a036-d69b31f4cff4 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/8af35c6f-a687-464b-a036-d69b31f4cff4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014045 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/184368139/Diaz_et_al_2018_Journal_of_Geophysical_Research_Oceans.pdf |
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ftubristolcris:oai:research-information.bris.ac.uk:publications/8af35c6f-a687-464b-a036-d69b31f4cff4 2024-01-14T09:58:51+01:00 The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice Diaz, A Ehn, JK Landy, JC Else, BGT Campbell, K Papakyriakou, TN 2018-12-05 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/1983/8af35c6f-a687-464b-a036-d69b31f4cff4 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/8af35c6f-a687-464b-a036-d69b31f4cff4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014045 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/184368139/Diaz_et_al_2018_Journal_of_Geophysical_Research_Oceans.pdf eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Diaz , A , Ehn , JK , Landy , JC , Else , BGT , Campbell , K & Papakyriakou , TN 2018 , ' The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice ' , Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans , vol. 123 , no. 12 , pp. 8730-8748 . https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014045 article 2018 ftubristolcris https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014045 2023-12-21T23:31:49Z During the spring‐to‐summer transition, the snow cover on Arctic sea ice melts and meltwater pools on the surface to form melt ponds; however, the timing and extent of the ponding vary between years. In Dease Strait (Nunavut), this transition was particularly dramatic in 2014 when on 18 June meltwater had flooded >95% of the surface. In this study, continuous surface energy balance measurements throughout the transition highlight how the timing of transient weather events influenced seasonal shifts in distinct ice melt stages. The keys to the extensive flooding were (1) the level ice cover, (2) a strong low‐pressure system on 24 May that deposited ~10 cm of snow, and (3) freeze‐thaw cycling and a subsequent return to subzero air temperatures on 30 May that led to superimposed and interposed ice formation. Without these, melt ponds would have likely developed within days from an initial melt onset on 28 May. After a 2‐week delay, snow‐melt resumed and lead to near‐complete flooding of the surface for 4 days. The albedo of the flooded ice remained high (0.35–0.40), as a result of the bubble‐laden superimposed ice layer. Once this layer eroded, the albedo over melt ponds decreased to a more typical level (~0.20). Our observations suggest that the formation of superimposed and interposed ice prevented the vertical drainage of meltwater to the ocean. Future challenges remain to measure the presence of these layers and understand their effect on sea ice permeability and pond evolution, while sea ice temperatures are near the melting point. Article in Journal/Newspaper albedo Arctic Arctic Nunavut Sea ice University of Bristol: Bristol Research Arctic Dease Strait ENVELOPE(-107.502,-107.502,68.834,68.834) Nunavut Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 123 12 8730 8748 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Bristol: Bristol Research |
op_collection_id |
ftubristolcris |
language |
English |
description |
During the spring‐to‐summer transition, the snow cover on Arctic sea ice melts and meltwater pools on the surface to form melt ponds; however, the timing and extent of the ponding vary between years. In Dease Strait (Nunavut), this transition was particularly dramatic in 2014 when on 18 June meltwater had flooded >95% of the surface. In this study, continuous surface energy balance measurements throughout the transition highlight how the timing of transient weather events influenced seasonal shifts in distinct ice melt stages. The keys to the extensive flooding were (1) the level ice cover, (2) a strong low‐pressure system on 24 May that deposited ~10 cm of snow, and (3) freeze‐thaw cycling and a subsequent return to subzero air temperatures on 30 May that led to superimposed and interposed ice formation. Without these, melt ponds would have likely developed within days from an initial melt onset on 28 May. After a 2‐week delay, snow‐melt resumed and lead to near‐complete flooding of the surface for 4 days. The albedo of the flooded ice remained high (0.35–0.40), as a result of the bubble‐laden superimposed ice layer. Once this layer eroded, the albedo over melt ponds decreased to a more typical level (~0.20). Our observations suggest that the formation of superimposed and interposed ice prevented the vertical drainage of meltwater to the ocean. Future challenges remain to measure the presence of these layers and understand their effect on sea ice permeability and pond evolution, while sea ice temperatures are near the melting point. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Diaz, A Ehn, JK Landy, JC Else, BGT Campbell, K Papakyriakou, TN |
spellingShingle |
Diaz, A Ehn, JK Landy, JC Else, BGT Campbell, K Papakyriakou, TN The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice |
author_facet |
Diaz, A Ehn, JK Landy, JC Else, BGT Campbell, K Papakyriakou, TN |
author_sort |
Diaz, A |
title |
The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice |
title_short |
The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice |
title_full |
The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice |
title_fullStr |
The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice |
title_sort |
energetics of extensive meltwater flooding of level arctic sea ice |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/1983/8af35c6f-a687-464b-a036-d69b31f4cff4 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/8af35c6f-a687-464b-a036-d69b31f4cff4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014045 https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/184368139/Diaz_et_al_2018_Journal_of_Geophysical_Research_Oceans.pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-107.502,-107.502,68.834,68.834) |
geographic |
Arctic Dease Strait Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Dease Strait Nunavut |
genre |
albedo Arctic Arctic Nunavut Sea ice |
genre_facet |
albedo Arctic Arctic Nunavut Sea ice |
op_source |
Diaz , A , Ehn , JK , Landy , JC , Else , BGT , Campbell , K & Papakyriakou , TN 2018 , ' The Energetics of Extensive Meltwater Flooding of Level Arctic Sea Ice ' , Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans , vol. 123 , no. 12 , pp. 8730-8748 . https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014045 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014045 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
123 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
8730 |
op_container_end_page |
8748 |
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1788066432531038208 |