scholarly journals Ice ridging and ice drift in Southern Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada, during winter Storms

2006 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 411-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Prinsenberg ◽  
A. Van Der Baaren ◽  
I.K. Peterson

AbstractDuring February and March 2004, Satellite-tracked ice beacons and helicopter-borne Sensors collected ice-drift and ice-thickness data from the Southern Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada, to Study the region’s ice-thickness evolution and ice-drift behavior in response to winter Storms. Three northeasterly Storms passed through the area during the observation period, pushing the pack ice against the north Shore of Prince Edward Island. The resulting Severe ice deformation caused major changes in the ice-thickness distribution of two pack-ice areas tracked by ice beacons that Survived the Storms. The ice drift ranged from 1.4% to 2.9% of the wind Speed during free ice-drift conditions, decreasing to 0% when the pack ice compacted against the Shoreline. Most of the thinner ice deformed first, increasing the mean ice thickness over 6–8 km line Sections around the beacons from 0.6 and 0.3 m before the Storms to 1.9 and 2.0 m after the Storms. The ice-thickness increases can be accounted for by the reduced pack-ice area due to ice ridging. Over the next 4weeks, deformation continued and the mean ice thickness around the beacons increased to 2.8 m, well in excess of the maximum undeformed possible ice growth of 65 cm. Ice charts captured the ice thickness of undeformed and composite ice floes but did not capture the ice volume in ice-rubble fields.

2001 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 177-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Worby ◽  
G. M. Bush ◽  
I. Allison

AbstractUpward-looking sonar (ULS) data are presented from a prototype instrument deployed at 63° 18’ S, 107°49’ E in 1994. These data show the seasonal evolution of the ice-draft distribution from May when predominantly thin ice is present, through October when substantially thicker ice has been formed by deformation. The mean ice draft reaches a maximum in August at 1.21 m, the same month in which ship-based observations from the same region show a peak in ice thickness. The observed distribution from ULS data is only for drafts > 0.3 m due to data losses caused by the low acoustic reflectivity of actively forming ice. The spring distributions show very little development of drafts > 3.0 m, and it is hypothesized that this is due to the cyclical nature of deformation in the East Antarctic pack-ice zone, and that periods of sustained pressure required to form very thick ice are uncommon in this region


1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 427-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony P. Worby ◽  
Xingren Wu

The importance of monitoring sea ice for studies of global climate has been well noted for several decades. Observations have shown that sea ice exhibits large seasonal variability in extent, concentration and thickness. These changes have a significant impact on climate, and the potential nature of many of these connections has been revealed in studies with numerical models. An accurate representation of the sea-ice distribution (including ice extent, concentration and thickness) in climate models is therefore important for modelling global climate change. This work presents an overview of the observed sea-ice characteristics in the East Antarctic pack ice (60-150° E) and outlines possible improvements to the simulation of sea ice over this region by modifying the ice-thickness parameterisation in a coupled sea-ice-atmosphere model, using observational data of ice thickness and concentration. Sensitivity studies indicate that the simulation of East Antarctic sea ice can be improved by modifying both the “lead parameterisation” and “rafting scheme” to be ice-thickness dependent. The modelled results are currently out of phase with the observed data, and the addition of a multilevel ice-thickness distribution would improve the simulation significantly.


2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (57) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donghui Yi ◽  
H. Jay Zwally ◽  
John W. Robbins

AbstractSea-ice freeboard heights for 17 ICESat campaign periods from 2003 to 2009 are derived from ICESat data. Freeboard is combined with snow depth from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) data and nominal densities of snow, water and sea ice, to estimate sea-ice thickness. Sea-ice freeboard and thickness distributions show clear seasonal variations that reflect the yearly cycle of growth and decay of the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) pack ice. During October–November, sea ice grows to its seasonal maximum both in area and thickness; the mean freeboards are 0.33–0.41m and the mean thicknesses are 2.10–2.59 m. During February–March, thinner sea ice melts away and the sea-ice pack is mainly distributed in the west Weddell Sea; the mean freeboards are 0.35–0.46m and the mean thicknesses are 1.48–1.94 m. During May–June, the mean freeboards and thicknesses are 0.26–0.29m and 1.32–1.37 m, respectively. the 6 year trends in sea-ice extent and volume are (0.023±0.051)×106 km2 a–1 (0.45% a–1) and (0.007±0.092)×103 km3 a–1 (0.08% a–1); however, the large standard deviations indicate that these positive trends are not statistically significant.


1987 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 69-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Feldman

A method to estimate open pack ice thickness drifting in a marginal ice zone (MIZ) is presented, The estimates are obtained from two-day sequences of sidelapping Landsat-1 MSS images and two-day sequences of wind field data by four steps: estimating the surface wind speed, estimating the angle of sea ice deflection, estimating three ratios between ice parameters and estimating the lower and upper limits of pack ice thickness. The method has been applied to six groups of open pack ice floes drifting in the MIZ of the Beaufort Sea during 1973–1975. In the absence of simultaneous in-situ observation, the results have not been tested, The method presented may be applied to any MIZ. Rather than using Landsat-1 MSS images, data from a high resolution active microwave remote sensing system should be employed in the future as its data will be independent of sun illumination and cloud cover.


1987 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1232-1242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devinder S. Sodhi ◽  
Gordon F. N. Cox

A brief review of significant advances in the field of sea ice mechanics in the United States is presented in this paper. Emphasis is on ice forces on structures, as the subject relates to development of oil and gas resources in the southern Beaufort Sea. The main topics discussed here are mechanical properties, ice–structure interaction, modeling of sea ice drift, and oil industry research activities. Significant advances in the determination of ice properties are the development of testing procedures to obtain consistent results. Using stiff testing machines, researchers have been able to identify the dependence of tensile and compressive strengths on different parameters, eg, strain rate, temperature, grain size, c-axis orientation, porosity, and state of stress (uniaxial or multiaxial). Now reliable data exist on the tensile and compressive strengths of first-year and multi-year sea ice. Compressive strengths obtained from field testing of large specimens (6 × 3 × 2 m thick) were found to be within 30% of the strengths obtained from small samples tested in laboratory at the same temperature and strain rate as found in the field. Recent advances in the development of constitutive relations and yield criteria have incorporated the concept of damage mechanics to include the effect of microfracturing during the ice failure process. Ice forces generated during an ice–structure interaction are related to ice thickness and properties by conducting analytical or small-scale experimental studies, or both. Field measurements of ice forces have been made to assess the validity of theoretical and small-scale experimental results. There is good agreement between theoretical and small-scale experimental results for ice forces on conical structures. Theoretical elastic buckling loads also agree with the results of small-scale experiments. Though considerable insight has been achieved for ice crushing failure, estimation of ice forces for this mode is based on empirical relations developed from small-scale experiments. A good understanding of the ice failure process has been achieved when ice fails in a single failure mode, but our understanding of multi-modal ice failure still remains poor. Field measurements of effective pressure indicate that it decreases with increasing contact area. Research in fracture mechanics and nonsimultaneous failure is underway to explain this observed trend. Ice ridge formation and pile-up have been modeled, and the forces associated with these processes are estimated to be low. The modeling of sea ice drift has progressed to a point where it is able to determine the extent, thickness distribution, and drift velocity field of sea ice over the entire arctic basin. Components of this model relate to momentum balance, thermodynamic processes, ice thickness distribution, ice strength, and ice rheology.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 3105-3123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Pemberton ◽  
Ulrike Löptien ◽  
Robinson Hordoir ◽  
Anders Höglund ◽  
Semjon Schimanke ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Baltic Sea is a seasonally ice-covered marginal sea in northern Europe with intense wintertime ship traffic and a sensitive ecosystem. Understanding and modeling the evolution of the sea-ice pack is important for climate effect studies and forecasting purposes. Here we present and evaluate the sea-ice component of a new NEMO–LIM3.6-based ocean–sea-ice setup for the North Sea and Baltic Sea region (NEMO-Nordic). The setup includes a new depth-based fast-ice parametrization for the Baltic Sea. The evaluation focuses on long-term statistics, from a 45-year long hindcast, although short-term daily performance is also briefly evaluated. We show that NEMO-Nordic is well suited for simulating the mean sea-ice extent, concentration, and thickness as compared to the best available observational data set. The variability of the annual maximum Baltic Sea ice extent is well in line with the observations, but the 1961–2006 trend is underestimated. Capturing the correct ice thickness distribution is more challenging. Based on the simulated ice thickness distribution we estimate the undeformed and deformed ice thickness and concentration in the Baltic Sea, which compares reasonably well with observations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (212) ◽  
pp. 1151-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.W. Mcnabb ◽  
R. Hock ◽  
S. O’Neel ◽  
L.A. Rasmussen ◽  
Y. Ahn ◽  
...  

AbstractInformation about glacier volume and ice thickness distribution is essential for many glaciological applications, but direct measurements of ice thickness can be difficult and costly. We present a new method that calculates ice thickness via an estimate of ice flux. We solve the familiar continuity equation between adjacent flowlines, which decreases the computational time required compared to a solution on the whole grid. We test the method on Columbia Glacier, a large tidewater glacier in Alaska, USA, and compare calculated and measured ice thicknesses, with favorable results. This shows the potential of this method for estimating ice thickness distribution of glaciers for which only surface data are available. We find that both the mean thickness and volume of Columbia Glacier were approximately halved over the period 1957–2007, from 281 m to 143 m, and from 294 km3 to 134 km3, respectively. Using bedrock slope and considering how waves of thickness change propagate through the glacier, we conduct a brief analysis of the instability of Columbia Glacier, which leads us to conclude that the rapid portion of the retreat may be nearing an end.


2000 ◽  
Vol 46 (154) ◽  
pp. 427-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jari Haapala

AbstractAn ice-thickness distribution model based on physical ice classes is formulated. Pack ice is subdivided into open water, two different types of undeformed ice, and rafted, rubble and ridged ice. Evolution equations for each ice class are formulated and a redistribution between the ice classes is calculated according to a functional form depending on the ice compactness, thickness and velocity divergence. The ice-thickness distribution model has been included in a coupled ice–ocean model, and numerical experiments have been carried out for a simulation of the Baltic Sea ice season. The extended ice classification allows separation of thermally and mechanically produced ice. Inherent thermodynamic growth/melting rates of the ice classes can be introduced into the model, giving a more detailed seasonal evolution of the pack ice. In addition, the model provides more information about the surface properties of pack ice.Numerical experiments for the Baltic Sea show that both the sub-basin and inter-basin ice characteristics were realistically simulated by the model. Deformed-ice production was related to storm activity. Most of the deformation was produced in the coastal zone, which is also an important region for thermodynamically produced ice because of the ice growth in leads. The modelled mechanical growth rates of ice were 0.5–3 cm d−1 on a basin scale, close to the thermodynamic ice-production rates. The deformed-ice fraction was 0.2 in mid-winter and increased to 0.5–1.0 during spring.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Lin ◽  
François Massonnet ◽  
Thierry Fichefet ◽  
Martin Vancoppenolle

Abstract. The Sea Ice Evaluation Tool (SITool) described in this paper is a performance metrics and diagnostics tool developed to evaluate the skill of bi-polar model reconstructions of sea ice concentration, extent, edge location, drift, thickness, and snow depth. It is a Python-based software and consists of well-documented functions used to derive various sea ice metrics and diagnostics. Here, the SITool version 1.0 (v1.0) is introduced and documented, and is then used to evaluate the performance of global sea ice reconstructions from nine models that provided sea ice output under the experimental protocols of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) Ocean Model Intercomparison Project with two different atmospheric forcing datasets: the Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiments version 2 (CORE-II) and the updated Japanese 55-year atmospheric reanalysis (JRA55-do). Two sets of observational references for sea ice concentration, thickness, snow depth, and ice drift are systematically used to reflect the impact of observational uncertainty on model performance. Based on available model outputs and observational references, the ice concentration, extent, and edge location during 1980–2007, as well as the ice thickness, snow depth, and ice drift during 2003–2007 are evaluated. It is found that (1) in general, model biases are larger than observational uncertainties and model performances are primarily consistent compared to different observational references, (2) By changing the atmospheric forcing from CORE-II to JRA55-do reanalysis data, the overall performance (mean state, interannual variability and trend) of the simulated sea ice areal properties in both hemispheres, as well as the mean ice thickness simulation in the Antarctic, the mean snow depth and ice drift simulations in both hemispheres are improved, (3) the simulated sea ice areal properties are also improved in the model with increased spatial resolution, (4) for the cross-metric analysis, there is no link between the performance in one variable and the performance in another. The SITool is an open-access version-controlled software that can run on a wide range of CMIP6 compliant sea ice outputs. The current version of SITool (v1.0) is primarily developed to evaluate atmosphere-forced simulations and it could be eventually extended to fully coupled models.


Polar Record ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-125
Author(s):  
William Barr

ABSTRACTHaving spent 21 months on board their icebound ship, Tegetthoff, adrift in the pack ice to the north of Novaya Zemlya, and having explored a substantial part of Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa [Franz Josef Land], to which the ice-drift had carried their ship, on 20 May 1874 the members of the Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition abandoned it and started south by sledge and boat. Progress was painfully slow, and for weeks involved repeatedly alternating between man hauling across floes and rowing or sailing across leads and polynyas. The expedition finally reached open water on 15 August and started rowing and sailing south along the west coast of Novaya Zemlya. They encountered two Russian fishing boats at Mys Britvin [Cape Britvin], just south of Matochkin Shar on 24 August, and the Austrians persuaded one of their captains to take them to Vardø in Northern Norway. They arrived there on 3 September and caught the mail steamer south to Hamburg. Apart from the engineer, Otto Krisch, who died of tuberculosis and scurvy and was buried on Ostrov Vilcheka [Wilczek Island], the remaining 24 members of the expedition returned home safely. The diary of one of the co-leaders of the expedition, Lieutenant Carl Weyprecht, covering the period of the retreat, is published here in English for the first time.


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