Spatial-temporal characters of Antarctic sea ice variation

1　Introduction Nowadaysglobalclimatechangehasbeenanimportantissueintheworld.Antarctic areaisjustthekeyandsensitiveregion,fromwhichscientistsaretryingtheirbesttofind theomenofglobalclimatechange.Andfortherevolvingglobalatmosphere,PolarRegions arecoldsource.TheoceanicandatmosphericconditionofPolarRegionsisimportantto globalatmosphericcirculationandclimatechange.Antarcticareaisoneofthecoldsources ofglobalearth atmospheresystem,whileequatorialareaisitsmainheatsource(seeZhou andLuetal.1996).…     

Influence of sea ice and sea surface temperature on the abundance of Antarctic krill in Area 48.2

In this paper we examine the relationship between Antarctic krill catch, sea ice concentration, and sea surface tempera- ture （SST）. Data on the Antarctic krill catch from 2003 to 2010 in CCAMLR Area 48.2 were combined with sea ice and SST data. Results showed that krill fishing in Area 48.2 took place from February to August each year but the catch was concentrated from March to July, with production during this period accounting for about 99.3% of the annual catch. Regression analysis showed that the catch per unit effort （CPUE） was clearly related to sea ice concentration and SST intervals. CPUE was negatively correlated with the area of sea ice among years （R2=0.64）, and the correlation was strongest （R2=0.71） when sea ice concentration was greater than 90%. Over the months the CPUE initially increased, then decreased as the area of sea ice increased. The relationship was strongest （R2=0.88） when the concentration of sea ice was 60%--70%. There was no negative correlation among years between CPUE and the ice-free area when S ST was between -2 ℃ and 3 ℃ （R2=0.21）, but there was a significant negative correlation when SST was between 1 ℃ and 2℃ （R2=0.82）. Over the months, CPUE initially increased then decreased with increasing sea ice-free area, and the relationship was strongest （R2=0.94） when SST was between 0℃and 1 ℃. This study shows that sea ice concentra- tion and SST have significant effects on the abundance of krill in Area 48.2, and the findings have practical significance for the use and conservation of Antarctic krill resources.     

Interaction between sea ice/iceberg and ship structures: A review

For ship structural design and good maneuverability in an ice-covered sea, the local and global load of ice cover on ships should be well understood. This paper reviews the extensive work done on ice loads on ships, including： （a） Ice pressure and local load determination based on field and model tests; （b） Global ice loads on ships from full-scale field observations, model tests and numerical models under different ice conditions （level ice and pack ice） and ship operations （maneuvering and mooring）. Spe- cial attention is paid to the discrete element simulation of global ice loads on ships; and （c） Analytical solutions and numerical models of impact loads of icebergs on ships for polar navigation. Finally, research potential in these areas is discussed.     

Ice concentration assimilation in a regional ice-ocean cou- pled model and its application in sea ice forecasting

A reasonable initial state of ice concentration is essential for accurate short-term forecasts of sea ice using ice-ocean coupled models. In this study, sea ice concentration data are assimilated into an operational ice forecast system based on a com- bined optimal interpolation and nudging scheme. The scheme produces a modeled sea ice concentration at every time step, based on the difference between observational and forecast data and on the ratio of observational error to modeled error. The impact and the effectiveness of data assimilation are investigated. Significant improvements to predictions of sea ice extent were obtained through the assimilation of ice concentration, and minor improvements through the adjustment of the upper ocean properties. The assimilation of ice thickness data did not significantly improve predictions. Forecast experiments show that the forecast accuracy is higher in summer, and that the errors on five-day forecasts occur mainly around the marginal ice zone.     

Fine-resolution simulation of surface current and sea ice in the Arctic Mediterranean Seas

A fine-resolution model is developed for ocean circulation simulation in the National Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and is applied to simulate surface current and sea ice variations in the Arctic Mediterranean Seas. A dynamic sea ice model in elastic-viscous-plastic rheology and a thermodynamic sea ice model are employed. A 200-year simulation is performed and a dimatological average of a 10-year period (141st-150th) is presented with focus on sea ice concentration and surface current variations in the Arctic Mediterranean Seas. The model is able to simulate well the East Greenland Current, Beaufort Gyre and the Transpolar Drift, but the simulated West Spitsbergen Current is small and weak. In the March climatology, the sea ice coverage can be simulated well except for a bit more ice in east of Spitsbergen Island. The result is also good for the September scenario except for less ice concentration east of Greenland and greater ice concentration near the ice margin. The extra ice east of Spitsbergen Island is caused by sea ice current convergence forced by atmospheric wind stress.     

Mechanical and numerical models for sea ice dynamics on small-meso scale

On small-meso scale, the sea ice dynamic characteristics are quite different from that on large scale. To model the sea ice dynamics on small-meso scale, a new elastic-viscous-plastic （EVP） constitutive model and a hybrid Lagrangian- Eulerian （HLE） numerical method are developed based on continuum theory. While a modified discrete element model （DEM） is introduced to model the ice cover at discrete state. With the EVP constitutive model, the numerical simulation for ice ridging in an idealized rectangular basin is carried out and the results are comparable with the analytical solution of jam theory. Adopting the HLE numerical model, the sea ice dynamic process is simulated in a vortex wind field. The furthering application of DEM is discussed in details for modeling the discrete distribution of sea ice. With this study, the mechanical and numerical models for sea ice dynamics can be improved with high precision and computational efficiency.     

Seasonal change of ice algal and phytoplankton assemblages in the Nella Fjord near Zhongshan Station, East Antarctica

The ice algal and phytoplankton assemblages were studied from Nella Fjord near Zhongshan Station, East Antarctica from April 12 to December 30, 1992. Algal blooms occurred about 3 cm thick on the bottom of sea ice in late April and mid November to early December respectively, and a phytoplankton bloom appeared in the underlying surface water in mid December following the spring ice algal bloom. The biomass in ice bottom was 1 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than that of surface water. Amphiprora kjellmanii, Berkeleya sp., Navicula glaciei, Nitzschia barkelyi, N. cylindrus /N. curta, N. lecointei and Nitzschia sp. were common in the sea ice temporarily or throughout the study period. The biomass in a certain ice segment was decreased gradually and the dominant species were usually succeeded as the season went on. Nitzschia sublineata and Dactyliosolen antarctica were two seasonal dominant species only observed in underlying water column. The assemblages between bottom of ice and underlying surface water were different except when spring ice algae bloomed. The evidence shows that the ice algal blooms occurred mainly by in situ growth of ice algae, and the phytoplankton bloom was mostly caused by the release of ice algae.     

Measurements of sea ice thickness and its subice morphology analysis using ice-penetration radar in the Arctic Ocean

1　IntroductionSeaice ,asanimportantcomponentoftheArcticclimatesystem ,hasdrawnsignifi cantscientificinterest.Seaicethicknessanditsmorphologyhavedramaticimpactsono cean atmosphere iceinteractions(Wadhams 1 994;Barryetal.1 993 ;Dickson 1 999;PadhamsandNorman 2 0 0 0 ) ,whichdirectlyaffecttheexchangeprocessandspeedofheatandmassbetweentheoceanandtheatmosphere ,dominatethephysicalmechanicsfea turesofseaice ,andaffecttheseaicemovement&deformationaswellasicefreezing&meltingprocess(Hollandetal.1 99…     

The role of Pacific water in the dramatic retreat of arctic sea ice during summer 2007

A model study is conducted to examine the role of Pacific water in the dramatic retreat of arctic sea ice during summer 2007. The model generally agrees with the observations in showing considerable seasonal and interannual variability of the Pacific water inflow at Bering Strait in response to changes in atmospheric circulation. During summer 2007 anomalously strong southerly winds over the PaCific sector of the Arctic Ocean strengthen the ocean circulation and bring more Pacific water into the Arctic than the recent （2000-2006） average. The simulated summer （3 months ） 2007 mean Pacific water inflow at Bering Strait is 1.2 Sv, which is the highest in the past three decades of the simulation and is 20% higher than the recent average. Particularly, the Pacific water inflow in September 2007 is about 0.5 Sv or 50% above the 2000-2006 average. The strengthened warm Pacific water inflow carries an additional 1.0 x 1020 Joules of heat into the Arctic, enough to melt an additional 0.5 m of ice over the whole Chukchi Sea. In the model the extra summer oceanic heat brought in by the Pacific water mainly stays in the Chukchi and Beaufort region, contributing to the warming of surface waters in that region. The heat is in constant contact with the ice cover in the region in July through September. Thus the Pacific water plays a role in ice melting in the Chukchi and Beaufort region all summer long in 2007, likely contributing to up to O. 5 m per month additional ice melting in some area of that region.     

Fabric and crystal characteristics of Bohai and Arctic sea ice

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Crystals and fabrics analysis of an Arctic thermal growth multi-year ice sample

One of sea ice core samples was taken from Arctic by the First Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition Team in 1999. 20 vertical and 2 horizontal ice sections were cut out of the ice core sample 2.22 m in length, which covered the ice sheet from surface to bottom except losses for during sampling and section cutting. From the observation and analysis of the fabrics and crystals along the depth of the ice core sample, followings were found. Whole ice sheet consists of columnar, refrozen clastic pieces, granular, columnar, refrozen clastic pieces, granular, columnar and refrozen clastic pieces. This indicates that the ice core sample was 3-year old, and the ice sheet surface thawed and the melt water flowed into ice sheet during summer. Hence, the annual energy balance in Arctic can be determined by the ice sheet surface thawing in summer, and bottom growth in winter. The thickness of the ice sheet is kept constantly at a certain position based on the corresponding climate and ocean conditions; A new     

Advancing the understanding of variations of Arctic sea ice optical and thermal behaviors through an international research and mobility project

In recent decades, significant changes of Arctic sea ice have taken place. These changes are expected to influence the surface energy balance of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean. To quantify this energy ba...     

Analysis of multi-dimensional SAR for determining the thickness of thin sea ice in the Bohai Sea

Flat thin ice (<30 cm thick) is a common ice type in the Bohai Sea, China. Ice thickness detection is important to offshore exploration and marine transport in winter. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can be used to acquire sea ice data in all weather conditions, and it is a useful tool for monitoring sea ice conditions. In this paper, we combine a multi-layered sea ice electromagnetic (EM) scattering model with a sea ice thermodynamic model to assess the determination of the thickness of flat thin ice in the Bohai Sea using SAR at different frequencies, polarization, and incidence angles. Our modeling studies suggest that co-polarization backscattering coefficients and the co-polarized ratio can be used to retrieve the thickness of flat thin ice from C- and X-band SAR, while the co-polarized correlation coefficient can be used to retrieve flat thin ice thickness from L-, C-, and X-band SAR. Importantly, small or moderate incidence angles should be chosen to avoid the effect of speckle noise.     

A coupled multi-category sea ice model and POM for Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea

An overview of the seasonal variation of sea-ice cover in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea is given. A coupled ice-ocean model, CECOM, has been developed to study the seasonal variation and associated ice-ocean processes. The sea-ice component of the model is a multi-category ice model in which mean concentration and thickness are expressed in terms of a thickness distribution function. Ten categories of ice thickness are specified in the model. Sea ice is coupled dynamically and thermodynamically to the Princeton Ocean Model. Selected results from the model including the seasonal variation of sea ice in Baffin Bay, the North Water polynya and ice growth and melt over the Labrador Shelf are presented.     

Seasonal changes in sea ice conditions along the Northeast Passage in 2007 and 2012

Remote sensing data from passive microwave and satellite-based altimeters, associated with the data measured underway, were used to characterize seasonal and spatial changes in sea ice conditions along...     

The research of Polar sea ice and its role in climate change

As an important part of global climate system, the Polar sea ice is effccting on global climate changes through ocean surface radiation balance, mass balance, energy balance as well as the circulating of sea water temperature and salinity. Sea ice research has a centuries - old history. The many correlative sea ice projects were established through the extensive international cooperation during the period from the primary research of intensity and the boaring capacity of sea ice to the development of sea/ice/air coupled model. Based on these reseamhes, the sea ice variety was combined with the global climate change. All research about sea ice includes： the physical properties and processes of sea ice and its snow cover, the ecosystem of sea ice regions, sea ice and upper snow albedo, mass balance of sea ice regions, sea ice and climate coupled model. The simulation suggests that the both of the area and volume of polar sea ice would be reduced in next century. With the developing of the sea ice research, more scientific issues are mentioned. Such as the interaction between sea ice and the other factors of global climate system, the seasonal and regional distribution of polar sea ice thickness, polar sea ice boundary and area variety trends, the growth and melt as well as their influencing factors, the role of the polynya and the sea/air interactions. We should give the best solutions to all of the issues in future sea ice studying.     

Studies on culture condition and extracellular hydrolase of psychrophilic bacteria from Arctic sea ice

Arctic sea ice in the polar region provides a cold habitat for microbial community. Arctic sea ice microorganisms are revealed to be of considerable importance in basic research and potential in biotechnological application. This paper investigated the culture condition and extraceIlular hydrolase of 14 strains of different Arctic sea ice bacteria. The results showed that optimal growth temperature of strains is 15 ℃ or 20 ℃. The optimal pH is about 8.0. They hardly grow at acid condition. 3 % NaCl is necessary for better growth. These strains have different abilities in producing amylase, protease, eellulase and lipase. Pseudoalteronomas sp. Bsi429 and Pseudoalteronomas sp. Bsi539 produced both cellulose, protease and lipase. These results provide a basis for further developing and exploiting the cold adapted marine enzyme resources.     

Relationship between Antarctic sea ice and the climate in summer of China

The variations of sea ice are different in different regions in Antarctica, thus have different impacts on local atmospheric circulation and global climatic system. The relationships between the sea ice in Ross Sea and Weddell Sea regions and the synoptic climate in summer of China are investigated in this paper via diagnostic analysis methods by using global sea ice concentration gridded data covering Jan. 1968 through Dec. 2002 obtained from Hadley Center, combined with Geopotential Height on 500hPa and 100hPa over North Hemisphere and monthly precipitation and air temperatures data covering the corresponding period over 160 meteorological stations in China obtained from CMA （ China Meteorological Administration）. Results disclose that both these two regions are of indicative meanings to the climate in summer of China. The Ross Sea Region is the key sea ice region to the precipitation in Northeast China in summer. More sea ice in this region in September will result in less precipitation in Northeast China in the following June. Weddell Sea Region is the key sea ice region to the air temperature in Northeast China in summer. More sea ice in this region in September will contribute to lower air temperature in Northeast China in the following June.     

Arctic sea ice and atmospheric circulation under the abrupt4xCO2 scenario

We analyze sea ice changes from eight different earth system models that have conducted experiment abrupt4xCO2 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5). In response to abrupt quadrupling of CO2 from preindustrial levels, Arctic temperatures dramatically rise by about 10°C—16°C in winter and the seasonal sea ice cycle and sea ice concentration are significantly changed compared with the pre-industrial control simulations(pi Control). Changes of Arctic sea ice concentration are spatially correlated with temperature patterns in all seasons and highest in autumn. Changes in sea ice are associated with changes in atmospheric circulation patterns at heights up to the jet stream. While the pattern of sea level pressure changes is generally similar to the surface air temperature change pattern, the wintertime 500 h Pa circulation displays a positive Pacific North America(PNA) anomaly under abrupt4xCO2-pi Control. This large scale teleconnection may contribute to, or feedback on, the simulated sea ice cover change and is associated with an intensification of the jet stream over East Asia and the north Pacific in winter.