Seasonal changes in sea ice kinematics and deformation in the Pacific Sector of the Arctic Ocean in 2018/19

Abstract

Abstract. Arctic sea ice kinematics and deformation play significant roles in heat and momentum exchange between atmosphere and ocean. However, mechanisms regulating their changes at seasonal scales remain poorly understood. Using position data of 32 buoys in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean (PAO), we characterized spatiotemporal variations in ice kinematics and deformation for autumn–winter 2018/19. In autumn, sea ice drift response to wind forcing and inertia were stronger in the southern and western than in the northern and eastern parts of the PAO. These spatial heterogeneities decreased gradually from autumn to winter, in line with the seasonal evolution of ice concentration and thickness. Areal localization index decreased by about 50 % from autumn to winter, suggesting the enhanced localization of intense ice deformation as the increased ice mechanical strength. In winter 2018/19, a highly positive Arctic Dipole and a weakened high pressure system over the Beaufort Sea led to a distinct change in ice drift direction and an temporary increase in ice deformation. During the freezing season, ice deformation rate in the northern part of the PAO was about 2.5 times that in the western part due to the higher spatial heterogeneity of oceanic and atmospheric forcing in the north. North–south and east–west gradients in sea ice kinematics and deformation of the PAO observed in autumn 2018 are likely to become more pronounced in the future as sea ice losses at higher rates in the western and southern than in the northern and western parts.

Arctic sea ice motion change and response to atmospheric forcing between 1979 and 2019

“…To identify the mechanisms underlying the long‐term changes in sea ice motion, comprehensive considerations of external forcing and sea ice conditions, including mechanical and rheological properties of the ice pack, are needed (Spreen et al ., 2011; Vihma et al ., 2012; Kwok et al ., 2013; Olason and Notz, 2014). Sea ice motion has wide‐ranging impacts on ice deformation (Heil and Hibler, 2002; Herman and Glowacki, 2012; Zhang et al ., 2012; Lei et al ., 2021), ice thickness redistribution (Rigor et al ., 2002; Martin and Gerdes, 2007; Kwok, 2011), and advection of ice mass, especially on sea ice outflow from the Arctic Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean (Zhang et al ., 2003; Cox et al ., 2010). Sea ice advection can transport ice‐rafted materials or extend ice‐associated biomes from the continental shelf to the deep basin, even out of the Arctic Ocean (Mørk et al ., 2011; Peeken et al ., 2018).…”

Modeling Snow and Ice Microwave Emissions in the Arctic for a Multi‐Parameter Retrieval of Surface and Atmospheric Variables From Microwave Radiometer Satellite Data

“…The campaign data sets as part of the international Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of the Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) are obtained from the following sources: Total water vapor and liquid water path are available at PANGAEA via https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.941389 (Ebell et al., 2022). Snow buoy snow depth data is available at PANGAEA via https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.938244 (Lei et al., 2021a). Snow buoy temperature data is available at PANGAEA.…”

“…The data sets are available for individual buoys. One example access is via https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.940360 (Lei, Cheng, Hoppmann, Haapala, & Lan, 2022), for the other buoys see (Lei et al., 2021b, 2021c, 2021d; Lei, Cheng, Hoppmann, & Zuo, 2022a, 2022b, 2022c, 2022d; Lei, Cheng, Hoppmann, Zuo, & Lan, 2022; Lei, Cheng, Zuo, & Hoppmann, 2022a, 2022b, 2022c; Lei, Cheng, Zuo, Hoppmann, & Lan, 2022; Lei, Hutchings, Cheng, & Hoppmann, 2022a, 2022b; Lei, Hutchings, Cheng, Hoppmann, & Yuan, 2022; Lei, Hutchings, Hoppmann, & Yuan, 2022a, 2022b, 2022c). The classified SAR images are provided by the author Wenkai Guo via https://www.dropbox.com/sh/edx4eq2oux0fqdg/AAB5CXZ8ReTwZNpXe48mpoZYa?dl=0 (Guo et al., 2023).…”

A dataset of direct observations of sea ice drift and waves in ice

“…We invite the reader aware of additional open datasets to notify us so that these can be added to our index, which we will keep extending in the future. We hope that these data, together with a variety of datasets that have been recently gathered 87,88 , will be a significant contribution towards building large, well sampled datasets of in situ observations of the MIZ and sea ice dynamics. 2.…”