This study presents the first continuous, high spatiotemporal resolution time series of landfast sea ice extent along the East Antarctic coast for the period March 2000–December 2008. The time series was derived from consecutive 20-day cloud-free Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) composite images. Fast ice extent across the East Antarctic coast shows a statistically significant (1.43% ±0.30% yr−1) increase. Regionally, there is a strong increase in the Indian Ocean sector (20°–90°E, 4.07% ±0.42% yr−1), and a nonsignificant decrease in the western Pacific Ocean sector (90°–160°E, −0.40% ±0.37% yr−1). An apparent shift from a negative to a positive extent trend is observed in the Indian Ocean sector from 2004. This shift also coincides with a greater amount of interannual variability. No such shift in apparent trend is observed in the western Pacific Ocean sector, where fast ice extent is typically higher and variability lower than the Indian Ocean sector. The limit to the maximum fast ice areal extent imposed by the location of grounded icebergs modulates the shape of the mean annual fast ice extent cycle to give a broad maximum and an abrupt, relatively transient minimum. Ten distinct fast ice regimes are identified, related to variations in bathymetry and coastal configuration. Fast ice is observed to form in bays, on the windward side of large grounded icebergs, between groups of smaller grounded icebergs, between promontories, and upwind of coastal features (e.g., glacier tongues). Analysis of the timing of fast ice maxima and minima is also presented and compared with overall sea ice maxima/minima timing.

Editor’s note: For easy download the posted pdf of the State of the Climate for 2019 is a low-resolution file. A high-resolution copy of the report is available by clicking here. Please be patient as it may take a few minutes for the high-resolution file to download.

Editor’s note: For easy download the posted pdf of the State of the Climate for 2017 is a low-resolution file. A high-resolution copy of the report is available by clicking here. Please be patient as it may take a few minutes for the high-resolution file to download.

[1] Ice cover data simulated by a coupled sea ice-ocean model of the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean are compared with satellite observations for the period 1978-2001. The capability of the model in reproducing the long-term mean state and the interseasonal variability is demonstrated. The main modes of variability of the satellite data and the simulation in the summer and winter half years are highly similar. Using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and the results from the sea ice-ocean model, we describe the relationship with atmospheric and oceanic variables for the first two modes of sea ice concentration variability in winter and in summer. The first winter mode shows a time-delayed response to the Arctic Oscillation due to advection of heat anomalies in the ocean. The second winter mode is dominated by an event in the late 1990s that is characterized by anomalously high pressure over the eastern Arctic. The first summer mode is strongly influenced by the Arctic Oscillation of the previous winter. The second summer mode is caused by anomalous air temperature in the Arctic. This mode shows a distinctive trend and is related to an ice extent reduction of about 4 Á 10 5 km 2 over the 23 years of analysis.