| Summary: | **This dataset is a duplicate of https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.780223.** Solar irradiance transmitted through snow and sea ice was measured along transects under undeformed land-fast sea ice off Barrow, Alaska. The objective was to quantify seasonal evolution and spatial variability of light transmittance through snow and sea ice. Along with the optical measurements, snow depth, ice thickness, and freeboard were recorded, and ice cores were analyzed for Chlorophyll-a and particulate matter. Transects were measured at the same site prior to the pooling of surface meltwater, in March, May, and June 2010, covering a total length of 172 m. The spatial variability of transmitted photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was found to decrease throughout the season, from highest variability in March to similar variability in May and June. Transmittance of PAR increased from between 0.1 and 0.2 % in March and May to about 4 % in June, a thirtyfold increase as a result of partial snow melt. Hence, the seasonal evolution of transmittance through sea ice exceeded the spatial variability. Spatial and temporal variability were associated with variations in snow depth and snow optical properties. More comprehensive under-ice radiation measurements are needed for a more generalized and large-scale understanding of the under-ice energy budget for physical, biogeochemical applications.
|
|---|