Sea-Ice Melt-Pond Fraction as Determined from Low Level Aerial Photographs

Derksen, Chris; Piwowar, Joseph M.; LeDrew, E.

doi:10.2307/1552150

Cited by 34 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…A gradual increase in pond coverage was also observed after 21 June in 2011 (Stage III), after melt pond surfaces had dropped to sea level (i.e., hydraulic head became zero) (Figure c), but not in 2012. The date of melt pond onset was within a week of past observations from the same region of the CAA [ Derksen et al ., ; Scharien and Yackel , ]. The length of Stage I (less than 1 week) was also similar to past observations of first‐year ice [ Derksen et al ., ; Eicken et al ., ; Polashenski et al ., ] and multiyear ice [ Perovich et al ., ; Sankelo et al ., ] from across the Arctic.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The date of melt pond onset was within a week of past observations from the same region of the CAA [ Derksen et al ., ; Scharien and Yackel , ]. The length of Stage I (less than 1 week) was also similar to past observations of first‐year ice [ Derksen et al ., ; Eicken et al ., ; Polashenski et al ., ] and multiyear ice [ Perovich et al ., ; Sankelo et al ., ] from across the Arctic. Rösel and Kaleschke [] used MODIS data to estimate that the 2011 peak in melt pond coverage was ∼50% in the CAA and occurred around 18 June, which agrees closely with our observations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Surface and melt pond evolution on landfast first-year sea ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Landy

Ehn

Shields

et al. 2014

J. Geophys. Res. Oceans

110

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The evolution of landfast sea ice melt pond coverage, surface topography, and mass balance was studied in the Canadian Arctic during May-June 2011 and 2012, using a terrestrial laser scanner, snow and sea ice sampling, and surface meteorological characterization. Initial melt pond formation was not limited to low-lying areas, rather ponds formed at almost all premelt elevations. The subsequent evolution of melt pond coverage varied considerably between the 2 years owing to four principle, temporally variable factors. First, the range in premelt topographic relief was 0.5 m greater in 2011 (rougher surface) than in 2012 (smoother surface), such that a seasonal maximum pond coverage of 60% and maximum hydraulic head of 204 mm were reached in 2011, versus 78% and 138 mm in 2012. A change in the meltwater balance (production minus drainage) caused the ponds to spread or recede over an area that was almost 90% larger in 2012 than in 2011. Second, modification of the premelt topography was observed during mid-June, due to preferential melting under certain drainage channels. Some of the lowest-lying premelt areas were subsequently elevated above these deepening channels and unexpectedly became drained later in the season. Third, ice interior temperatures remained 1-2 C colder later into June in 2012 than in 2011, even though the ice was 0.35 m thinner at melt onset, thereby delaying permeability increases in the ice that would allow vertical meltwater drainage to the ocean. Finally, surface melt was estimated to account for approximately 62% of the net radiative flux to the sea ice cover during the melt season.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface and melt pond evolution on landfast first-year sea ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Landy

Ehn

Shields

et al. 2014

J. Geophys. Res. Oceans

110

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“…However, parameterisations are based on limited field observations that do not account for the horizontal heterogeneity of ice types and f p . The f p of an area comprising a mixture of FYI and MYI ice may vary from 10 to 70 % at one time (Derksen et al, 1997;Eicken et al, 2004;Polashenski et al, 2012). Seasonal variations up to 50 % on FYI are typical , with variations > 75 % observed on level FYI (Hanesiak et al, 2001a;Scharien and Yackel, 2005).…”

Section: R K Scharien Et Al: Part 2: Scaling In Situ To Radarsat-2mentioning

confidence: 99%

First-year sea ice melt pond fraction estimation from dual-polarisation C-band SAR – Part 2: Scaling in situ to Radarsat-2

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Sea ice melt pond fraction (f p ), linked with lower sea ice surface albedo and increased light transmittance to the ocean, is inadequately parameterised in sea ice models due to a lack of observations. In this paper, results from a multiscale remote-sensing program dedicated to the retrieval of level first-year sea ice (FYI) f p from dual co-and crosspolarisation C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter are detailed. Models which utilise the dominant effect of free-water melt ponds on the VV/HH (vertical transmit and vertical receive/horizontal transmit and horizontal receive) polarisation ratio at high incidence angles are tested for their ability to provide estimates of the subscale f p . Retrieved f p from noise-corrected Radarsat-2 quad-polarisation scenes are in good agreement with observations from coincident aerial survey data, with root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 0.05-0.07 obtained during intermediate and late stages of ponding. Weak model performance is attributed to the presence of wet snow and slush during initial ponding, and a synoptically driven freezing event causing ice lids to form on ponds. The HV/HH (horizontal transmit and vertical receive/horizontal transmit and horizontal receive) ratio explains a greater portion of variability in f p , compared to VV/HH, when ice lids are present. Generally low HV channel intensity suggests limited applications using dual crosspolarisation data, except with systems that have exceptionally low noise floors. Results demonstrate the overall potential of dual-polarisation SAR for standalone or complementary observations of f p for process-scale studies and improvements to model parameterisations.

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“…The fractional area of the sea ice surface covered in ponds is needed to determine the area‐averaged albedo of the ice cover, an important quantity in the sea ice components of Global Climate Models (GCMs). The fractional area covered in ponds has been most extensively studied from visual photography using air craft and balloons [ Derksen et al , 1997; Tschudi et al , 2001; Perovich and Tucker , 1997; Eicken et al , 2004], but also from satellite imagery [ Barber and Yackel , 1999; Fetterer and Untersteiner , 1998b]. The evolution of the melt pond cover on a given region of sea ice, such as a particular floe, is typically highly variable since it is controlled by a number of competing factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporation of a physically based melt pond scheme into the sea ice component of a climate model

2010

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The extent and thickness of the Arctic sea ice cover has decreased dramatically in the past few decades with minima in sea ice extent in September 2005 and 2007. These minima have not been predicted in the IPCC AR4 report, suggesting that the sea ice component of climate models should more realistically represent the processes controlling the sea ice mass balance. One of the processes poorly represented in sea ice models is the formation and evolution of melt ponds. Melt ponds accumulate on the surface of sea ice from snow and sea ice melt and their presence reduces the albedo of the ice cover, leading to further melt. Toward the end of the melt season, melt ponds cover up to 50% of the sea ice surface. We have developed a melt pond evolution theory. Here, we have incorporated this melt pond theory into the Los Alamos CICE sea ice model, which has required us to include the refreezing of melt ponds. We present results showing that the presence, or otherwise, of a representation of melt ponds has a significant effect on the predicted sea ice thickness and extent. We also present a sensitivity study to uncertainty in the sea ice permeability, number of thickness categories in the model representation, meltwater redistribution scheme, and pond albedo. We conclude with a recommendation that our melt pond scheme is included in sea ice models, and the number of thickness categories should be increased and concentrated at lower thicknesses.

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Sea-Ice Melt-Pond Fraction as Determined from Low Level Aerial Photographs

Cited by 34 publications

References 5 publications

Surface and melt pond evolution on landfast first-year sea ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Surface and melt pond evolution on landfast first-year sea ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

First-year sea ice melt pond fraction estimation from dual-polarisation C-band SAR – Part 2: Scaling in situ to Radarsat-2

Incorporation of a physically based melt pond scheme into the sea ice component of a climate model

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