Estimating sea-ice volume flux out of the Laptev Sea using multiple satellite observations

Sea ice export through the Fram Strait derived from a combined model and satellite data set

“…The ice drift is the largest contributor with an RSD of 0.50. It is shown that the ice drift with maximal RSD is more likely to affect variations in sea ice volume flux, which corresponds to the previous findings in Kwok and Rothrock (1999), Ricker et al (2018) and Bi et al (2018).…”

“…However, when averaged over seasonal timescale, both the sea ice drift and thickness become significant factors for their close R 2 within the range of 0.36-0.46. Analogously, this conclusion was pointed out by Ricker et al (2018) and Bi et al (2016). In addition, the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index are used to analyze the possible links between atmospheric circulation and sea ice volume flux through the Fram Strait (Fig.…”

“…Variations in satellite-based Arctic sea ice volume and sea ice export through the Fram Strait have been estimated by numerous studies (Bi et al, 2018;Kwok and Cunningham, 2015;Ricker et al, 2018;Spreen et al, 2009). Nevertheless, in terms of the volume flux, the primary focus of these studies is the variations during the freezing season (October-April).…”

“…And the variation in the melt season ice volume flux through the Fram Strait still remains a query owing to the fact that sea ice thickness observations are sparse in the melt season, with the yearly total amount of ice volume flux also being unknown. In terms of sea ice volume flux, Ricker et al (2018), Bi et al (2018) and Zamani et al (2019) point out that the variation in ice drift plays the major role in determining the annual and interannual ice volume export variability. Due to thermodynamic growth and deformation, sea ice thickness on the other hand drives the increase in the seasonal cycle of the exported volume.…”