EGU2020-5208
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-5208
EGU General Assembly 2020
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Regional differences in processes controlling Arctic sea ice floe size distribution in Chukchi Sea, East Siberian and Fram Strait during pre-ponding season

Yanan Wang1, Byongjun Hwang1, Rajlaxmi Basu1, and Jinchang Ren2
Yanan Wang et al.
  • 1University of Huddersfield, Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, UK
  • 2University of Strathclyde, Centre for Signal and Image Processing, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, UK

The floe size distribution (FSD) is important to the physical and biological processes in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). The FSD is controlled by ice advection, thermodynamics (lateral melting), and dynamics (winds, tides, currents and ocean swell). These thermodynamic and dynamic conditions are different between the western Arctic (e.g., Chukchi and Beaufort Seas) and the eastern Arctic (e.g., Fram Strait). For example, the MIZ in the western Arctic is strongly influenced by a warm ocean due to enhanced sea-ice albedo feedback, while the MIZ in the eastern Arctic is strongly influenced by ocean swell. We hypothesise that this regional difference can affect the FSD differently between the two regions. To address the hypothesis, we analysed the FSD data derived the images from MEDEA and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) TerraSAR-X in Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea and Fram Strait. Our results show that the FSD in Chukchi Sea the most dynamic as it contains a larger percentage of smaller floes and undergoes a greater interannual variability in the FSD compared to East Siberian Sea and Fram Strait. In particular, the FSD in Chukchi Sea shows a notable change before and after 2012. This change is likely attributed to the severe storm occurred in early August 2012 and the presence of thinner ice in this region.

How to cite: Wang, Y., Hwang, B., Basu, R., and Ren, J.: Regional differences in processes controlling Arctic sea ice floe size distribution in Chukchi Sea, East Siberian and Fram Strait during pre-ponding season , EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-5208, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-5208, 2020.

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