Sea-ice research: making sense of sea-ice observations
Sea-ice research in the Fram Strait.
Photo: Sebastian Gerland, Norwegian Polar Institute
Cold air, cold water and calm conditions are needed for sea ice to form. Ob-
served changes in ice abundance and thickness can point towards changes in
any of these environmental conditions. Ice thickness can also increase due sole-
ly to ice dynamics when ice is extensively rafted and ridged.
The fact that pack ice drifts and is constantly changing location makes the inter-
pretation of changes in sea ice in relation to climate change even more difficult, as
the following example illustrates. If sea-ice floes start to drift from the East Siberian
Sea to Fram Strait at a faster rate, the thickness of the ice for a given temperature
history will change because the ice has less time to grow. If the drift speed stays as
it was, but the environmental temperature rises, the thickness of the ice will be also
less. And, as a third scenario, if snowfall increases and freezing and melting condi-
tions are changed the thickness will be affected. This illustrates how important the
physical parameters of the atmosphere and ocean are for the sea ice and for the
analysis of sea-ice observations.
Sea-ice research: International Polar Year and looking to the
future
Research on sea ice is a strong focus in the programme of the International Po-
lar Year (2007-2008), with many nations combining resources and expertise to
collaborate on large-scale studies aimed at furthering understanding of sea ice,
oceans and the atmosphere. These research campaigns involve integration of in
situ observations and use of modern technology (automatic sensors, autono-
mous drifters and floats, and satellites), along with improved climate modelling.
Further development of satellite sensor technology is underway, and this should
soon result in higher accuracy and better spatial and temporal resolution of
measurements
33,34
. The new ice-specialist satellite CryoSat-2 (Figure 5.12), to be
launched in 2009, and new developments beyond that, will hopefully lead to a
much better capacity to observe and understand the status of Arctic and Antarc-
tic sea ice and the processes and factors controlling it.
Figure 5.12: CryoSat-2, artist’s impression. CryoSat-2, to be launched in 2009, will
improve monitoring of ice thickness. Its altimeter measures distances to sea ice
and open water and the difference between the two is used to derive ice thickness
Illustration: ESA – AOES Medialab
CHAPTER 5 ICE IN THE SEA 77
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