Cyclones over Fram Strait: impact on sea ice and variability

The relation between sea ice drift and cyclone activity in the Fram Strait region was studied by both in situ observations and long-term time series. In a 1999 field campaign, the atmospheric forcing and the ice drift were determined using a research aircraft and drifting ice buoys. One cyclone entered the experimental area and caused a temporal increase in ice drift speed. Long-term studies are based on 16 years of cyclone statistics and model, satellite and sonar ice drift estimates. The actual impact of a cyclone depends on its particular track through Fram Strait. On the average, cyclones increase the Arctic ice export through Fram Strait.     

Direct measurements of volume transports through Fram Strait

Heat and freshwater transports through Fram Strait are understood to have a significant influence on the hydrographic conditions in the Arctic Ocean and on water mass modifications in the Nordic seas. To determine these transports and their variability reliable estimates of the volume transport through the strait are required. Current meter moorings were deployed in Fram Strait from September 1997 to September 1999 in the framework of the EU MAST III Variability of Exchanges in the Northern Seas programme. The monthly mean velocity fields reveal marked velocity variations over seasonal and annual time scales, and the spatial structure of the northward flowing West Spitsbergen Current and the southward East Greenland Current with a maximum in spring and a minimum in summer. The volume transport obtained by averaging the monthly means over two years amounts to 9.5 ± 1.4 Sv to the north and 11.1 ± 1.7 Sv to the south (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³s⁻¹). The West Spitsbergen Current has a strong barotropic and a weaker baroclinic component; in the East Greenland Current barotropic and baroclinic components are of similar magnitude. The net transport through the strait is 4.2 ± 2.3 Sv to the south. The obtained northward and southward transports are significantly larger than earlier estimates in the literature; however, within its range of uncertainty the balance obtained from a two year average is consistent with earlier estimates.     

北极东北航道维利基茨基海峡海冰时空变化及适航性分析

利用2002—2013年的海冰密集度数据对北极东北航道通航关键区域——维利基茨基海峡的海冰分布特征和通航性进行了分析研究。结果表明,近十年来从8月中下旬到10月中旬海峡海面状况适合船舶航行;海冰冰情年际变化很大,对维利基茨基海峡通航天数有明显的影响;海峡每年可通航时间基本在40 d以上,其开通时间年际变化较大,从7—9月不等,而结束时间相对集中在10月份。     

Particle-laden Eurasian Arctic sea ice: observations from July and August 1987

During the summer 1987 expedition of the polar research vessel'Polarstern'in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean, sea ice at about 84-86°N and 20-30°E was found to have high concentrations of particulate material. The particle-laden ice occurred in patches which often darkened more than half the ice surface at our northernmost positions. Much of this ice appeared to be within the Siberian Branch of the Transpolar Drift stream, which transports deformed, multi-year ice from the Siberian shelves westward across the Eurasian Basin. Lithogenic sediment, which is the major component of the particulate material, may have been incorporated during ice formation on the shallow Siberian seas. Diatoms collected from the particle-rich ice surfaces support this conclusion, as assemblages were dominated by a marine benthic species similar to that reported from sea ice off the coast of northeast Siberia. Based on drift trajectories of buoys deployed on the ice it appears that much of the particle-laden ice exited the Arctic Ocean through the Fram Strait and joined the East Greenland Current.
Very different sea ice characteristics were found east of the Yermak Plateau and north of Svalbard and Frans Josef Land up to about 83-84°N. Here sea ice was thinner, less deformed, with lower amounts of lithogenic sediment and diatoms. The diatom assemblage was dominated by planktonic freshwater species. Trajectories of buoys deployed on sea ice in this region indicated a tendency for southward transport to the Yermak Plateau or into the Barents Sea.     

海冰流变学方案对比模拟试验

利用美国麻省理工学院开发的数值模式MITgcm设计了区域冰·洋耦合数值模拟试验,开展了海冰动力学过程中两种流变学方案(黏性-塑性流变学和弹性-黏性-塑性流变学)的对比研究.结果表明,两种方案模拟的海冰内部应力张量分量σ<,11>和σ<,22>总体分布形式相近.冬季,大值区主要位于加拿大北极群岛和格陵兰岛北侧以及格陵兰岛...     

Trends and variability of sea ice in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, 1953–2001

The extent and duration of sea ice in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait has a major impact on the timing and strength of the marine production along West Greenland. The advance and retreat of the sea ice follows a predictable pattern, with maximum extent typically in March. We examine the area of sea ice in March in three overlapping study regions centred on Disko Bay on the west coast of Greenland. Sea ice concentration estimates derived from satellite passive microwave data are available for the years 1979-2001. We extend the record back in time by digitizing ice charts from the Danish Meteorological Institute, 1953-1981. There is reasonable agreement between the chart data and the satellite data during the three years of overlap: 1979-1981. We find a significant increasing trend in sea ice for the 49-year period (1953-2001) for the study regions that extend into Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. The cyclical nature of the wintertime ice area is also evident, with a period of about 8 to 9 years. Correlation of the winter sea ice concentration with the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index shows moderately high values in Baffin Bay. The correlation of ice concentration with the previous winter's NAO is high in Davis Strait and suggests that next winter's ice conditions can be predicted to some extent by this winter's NAO index.     

Contribution of a pathway through the Arctic Ocean to the recent reduction in the ice cover

The sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has been reducing and hit the low record in the summer of 2007.The anomaly was extremely large in the Pacific sector. The sea level height in the Bering Sea vs.the Greenland Sea has been analyzed and compared with the current meter data through the Bering Strait.A recent peak existed as a consequence of atmospheric circulation and is considered to contribute to inflow of the Pacific Water into the Arctic Basin.The timing of the Pacific Water inflow matched with the sea ice reduction in the Pacific sector and suggests a significant increase in heat flux.This component should be included in the model prediction for answering the question when the Arctic sea ice becomes a seasonal ice cover.     

北极海冰与大气环流耦合主模态的时空特征分析

对1979—2009年月平均的CFSR（The Climate Forecast System Reanalysis）海冰密集度（SIC）和海平面气压（SLP）资料进行多变量经验正交函数分解（MV—EOF）,得出耦合主模态,并通过对温度、位势高度和风场的回归分析,进一步探寻海冰与大气环流的关系,第一模态SLP的特征为北极涛动（AO）,SIC呈离散的正负中心分布但大体为东西反位相,AO正位相时,喀拉海、拉普捷夫海、东西伯利亚海和鄂霍次克海海冰减少,巴芬湾、波弗特海、楚科奇海和白令海海冰增加。耦合第二模态的SLP呈偶极子分布,负、正异常中心在巴伦支海和波弗特海,SIC在巴伦支海,弗拉姆海峡,格陵兰海,拉布拉多海和白令海,鄂霍次克海地区有正异常,在喀拉海、拉普捷夫海、东西伯利亚海、楚科齐海和波弗特海为负异常。耦合第三模态SLP在冰岛地区存在负异常中心,在拉普捷夫海地区有正异常中心,SIC在巴伦支海北部、弗拉姆海峡、格陵兰海为负异常,其余地区全为正异常。 对SLP和SIC分别进行EOF分解,并与耦合模态进行比较,SLP的EOF主模态的时空分布与耦合模态中SLP的时空分布十分相似,SIC的EOF模态的时空分布则与耦合模态中SIC的时空分布有较大差别,说明耦合模态对SIC的分布影响较大,即大气环流对海冰分布的影响为主要的过程,海冰对大尺度的大气环流的模态的影响不明显。     

ERA40中北半球高纬地区冬季气候变化和冰-气相互作用特征分析

利用欧洲中期天气预报中心(ECMWF)再分析资料(ERA40)分析了最近几十年冬季北半球高纬地区的气候变化和冰-气相互作用特征。在全球增暖背景下,冬季北半球高纬地区增温幅度更大,但温度变化明显具有区域性特点。20世纪70年代末期开始,格陵兰海、巴伦支海及欧亚大陆大部分区域和北美大陆部分区域在增暖,而拉布拉多海、格陵兰和白令海峡区域却变冷。与此对应,中央北极区及气候冰岛低压中心海平面气压在降低,而再往南区域海平面气压在升高。从20世纪70年代开始,格陵兰海和巴伦支海给大气的感热通量和潜热通量增多,这说明由于气温增加,使得海冰密集度减小,海冰对海气感热通量和潜热通量交换的隔离层作用减小,通量交换大大增加。而在挪威海非海冰区,由于气温增加,海气温差减小,海洋给大气的感热通量和潜热通量减少。在拉布拉多海,由于气温降低,海气温差增大,使得海洋给大气的感热通量和潜热通量增加,有利于拉布拉多海海冰的增多。海平面气压、海冰密集度及表面感热通量和潜热通量之和对大气表面温度 EOF 展开第一模时间系数的线性回归结果均与各自的EOF 展开第一模空间分布特征接近。     

An ice drift series from the Fram Strait January-March 1992 based on ERS-1 SAR data

A time series of ERS-1 SAR images is used to estimate ice drift in the Fram Strait January-March 1992 (the ERS-1 mission first ice phase). The images all cover the same area. The sampling interval is three days. The paper shows examples of estimation of ice drift and divergence from this image time series. Divergence is an important quantity in order to estimate ice production and hence mixing of the ocean water masses.
A reference configuration of ice points is defined for each image. These ice points are identified in the successive image giving a set of point pairs. These point pairs are input for statistical analysis.
Upward looking sonars (ULS) and current meters are moored below the scene. A combination of the SAR derived dynamics and the ULS derived ice thickness series will give opportunities to estimate ice mass flux into the Greenland Sea, and to improve ice classification algorithms.     

Hydrographic conditions in the Fram Strait, summer 1982

Hydrographic (CTD) observations obtained with R/V'Lance'in July-August 1982 across the Fram Strait are presented. The extent and the presence of traditional water masses such as Atlantic Water, Polar Water and Greenland Sea Deep Water are discussed. The complicated hydrographical structure in the upper water masses due to eddies and fronts near the ice edge is noted. An intermediate water mass characterized by a salinity minimum is found all across the Strait, and is suggested to originate in the Greenland Sea. The deep water in the south-west part of the Strait shows strong horizontal salinity and temperature gradients, and the structure of the corresponding station profiles indicates large hydrographical activity. This is in contrast to the east-north-east part, where the horizontal gradients are much weaker and the profiles much smoother. Thus most of the deep-and bottom-water communication between the Greenland/ Norwegian Seas and the Arctic Ocean seems to take place west of the 0° meridian.     

A diagnostic study of the Arctic Ocean winter density-driven circulation in 1973–79

Diagnostic computations of density-driven circulation for seven winters from 1973 through 1979 were carried out. The only forcing was provided by observed temperature and salinity data collected during onsite Russian winter surveys in 1973–79. Computed circulations from 1973 through 1978 were close to the mean circulation obtained earlier by averaging observed 1973–79 temperature and salinity (Polyakov & Timokhov 1994). The computed 1979 density-driven circulation flowed counter-clockwise to the north of the Laptev Sea. This circulation pattern was caused by an anomalous salinity distribution associated with changes in the atmospheric circulation regime in 1979. Prevailing offshore winds blew fresh water from the Laptev and East Siberian shelves toward Fram Strait. Fresh water was exchanged for saltier intermediate water that upwelled to the surface along the slope. The observed surface salinity anomalies at the continental slope of the Laptev Sea in 1979 increased by several salinity units. One may speculate that the same process may have caused the observed salinification of the Eurasian Basin in the 1990s.     

侧边界融化对北极海冰影响的数值模拟

对NCAR CSIM5 海冰模式中海冰侧边界融化参数化方案进行了详细阐述,并利用CSIM5模式模拟了侧边界融化对北极海冰厚度和海冰面积变化的影响,试验结果表明：（1）侧边界融化热力过程会增大海冰厚度和海冰面积的消融,海冰厚度消融最明显的区域分布在西伯利亚海和格陵兰海,海冰面积消融最明显区域分布海冰边缘地区;（2）侧边界融化过程对夏季海冰厚度影响比冬季更为明显,而对冬季海冰面积的影响要比夏季更为明显;（3）侧边界融化方案能更好地模拟出海冰面积的季节性变化;（4）海水表面温度（SST）是影响海冰侧边界融化过程的重要因子,侧边界融化率的大值区分布在SST零度线附近的狭窄区域。     

Winter climate change and sea ice-atmosphere interaction at high northern latitudes in ERA40 dataset

Based on the reanalysis dataset ERA40 of European Center of Medium Range Weather Forcast (ECMWF), winter climate change and characteristics of sea ice-atmosphere interaction at high northern latitudes for recent several tens of years are analyzed. Superposed upon the background of global warming, the amplitude of temperature increase in winter at high northern latitudes is bigger and it exhibits different features in different regions. From the end of 1970 s, the Greenland Sea, the Barents Sea and most part of Euro-Asian continent and North American continent are getting warmer, whereas the Labrador Sea, the Greenland and the area around the Bering Strait are getting colder. Meanwhile, the sea level pressure in the central part of the northern polar region and the place where the climatic Icelandic low exist decreases, but in places farther southward it increases. Since the 1970 s, the sensible heat flux and latent heat flux sent to the atmosphere from the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea has increased, this is mainly due to the reduction of sea ice concentration and the weakening of insulator and shield effect of the solid ice accordingly caused by the increase of air temperature. In sea ice free area of the Norwegian Sea, the sensible heat flux and latent heat flux sent to the atmosphere has reduced due to decrease of temperature and humidity differences between the air and the sea surface caused by increase of air temperature and humidity. In the Labrador Sea, due to decrease of air temperature and humidity and increase of temperature and humidity differences between the air and the sea surface accordingly, the sea gives more sensible heat flux and latent heat flux to the air. This will lead to the growth of sea ice extent there. The features of linear regression of sea level pressure, sea ice concentration and sum of sensible heat flux and latent heat flux toward time series of the leading mode of EOF expansion of surface air temperature are close to those of their own EOF expansion for the leading mode, respectively. This shows that these variables share similar features of variation with time linearly.     

北半球夏季中高纬度大气阻塞对北极海冰变化的影响

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析逐日500 h Pa高度场资料,对北半球夏季中高纬度大气阻塞特征进行统计分析,发现大气阻塞活动频率高的地区主要集中在白令海峡区域、鄂霍次克海区域、欧亚大陆区域及格陵兰区域。而通过NSIDC提供的卫星观测资料发现近30年夏季海冰容易减少的区域正好对应阻塞活动北部的高纬度地区。分别通过对以上4个区域有阻塞发生相对没有阻塞发生时的500 h Pa位势高度场、地面温度场、850 h Pa经向瞬变热通量输送和平流输送等异常变化场进行对比分析,结果发现夏季中高纬度阻塞频率的增加对海冰的减少有显著影响,主要体现在阻塞的发生发展可通过增加高纬度地面温度、对极地的热量输送和暖平流输送来加快海冰的融化。这种阻塞引起的热力作用在鄂霍次克海和欧亚大陆区域效果更为显著。     

Variability of the Northern Annular Mode's signature in winter sea ice concentration

Historical winter sea ice concentration data are used to examine the relation between the Northern Annular Mode (NAM) and the sea ice concentration in the Nordic seas over the past 50 years. The well known basic response pattern of a seesaw between the Labrador Sea and the Greenland, Iceland and Barents seas is being reproduced. However, the response is not robust in the Greenland and Iceland seas. There the observed variability has a more complex relationship with surface temperatures and winds. We divide the sea ice response into three spectral bands: high (P< year), band (515 year) filtered NAM indices. This division is motivated by the expected slow response of the ocean circulation which might play a significant role in the Greenland and Iceland seas. The response to the NAM is also examined separately for the periods before and after 1976 to identify variations due to the relocation of the northern centre of the North Atlantic Oscillation.     

Coordinated changes of sea ice over the Beaufort and Chukchi seas: regional and seasonal perspectives

One outstanding feature of the recent Arctic climate is the contrast of the changes of sea ice concentration and thickness between the Beaufort Sea and the Chukchi Sea. Since the Arctic Oscillation (AO) plays a critical role in driving Arctic sea ice changes and the Beaufort and Chukchi seas have been hypothesized as a region in which sea ice anomalies originate, we employed a coupled sea ice-ocean model and carried out simulations forced by the AO signal to examine sea ice changes in these regions, focusing on seasonality. With the AO phase transition from negative to positive, anticyclonic windstress weakens broadly in both winter and summer; however, the surface air temperature response shows remarkable seasonal dependence. Positive temperature anomalies spread over the entire domain in winter, while negative anomalies occur in the shelf seas in summer, although positive anomalies remain in the deep-water portion. The simulated sea ice concentration resembles the observed concentration. The strong seasonality of sea ice concentration changes suggests that accumulation of sea ice concentration in the Beaufort Sea and reduction in the Chukchi Sea are mainly produced in summer. Changes of ice thickness are robust through the seasonal cycle. Generally, sea ice dynamics play a critical role in creating the anomalous sea ice pattern and sea ice thermodynamics partially compensate the dynamically-driven changes. However, considerable seasonal differences occur.     

北极拉普捷夫海海冰多年变化研究

拉普捷夫海是北冰洋的边缘海和冰源地,对北冰洋的海冰变化有重要影响。通过分析AMSR-E海冰密集度数据以及NECP-DOE的风场、温度场数据,结果表明拉普捷夫海海冰在2002—2011年经历了如下过程：重冰年(2002—2004)—过渡性质年份(2005—2006) —轻冰年(2007、2009—2011),即冰情由重向轻转变。研究结果也表明拉普捷夫海的冰情轻重与融冰期长短有较好的相关性,融冰期持续时间越短,冰情越重。4个参数,包括海冰距平指数、最小海冰覆盖率、积温、风驱动指数描述了拉普捷夫海的海冰多年变化过程。海冰距平指数是时间（3—11月）平均下的海冰覆盖率距平值,定量给出了各年冰情的轻重;最小海冰覆盖率是夏季海冰的极限情况,变化范围在0.45%—48.73%,发生时间为8月底至10月上旬。积温是上一个冬季气温积累对当年冰情的影响,结果表明积温是影响当年冰情轻重的主要因素。2008年的上一个冬季经历了异常低温,造成当年的异常重冰年。风驱动指数给出了风场对海冰覆盖率变化的短期影响,与同时期其他年份相比,2006年4月、2007年9月均出现了异常强北风,一定程度上造成了2006年融冰开始时间延后、2007年夏季最小海冰覆盖率的明显偏大。     

北极地区20世纪温度变化趋势的不确定性

北极作为地球的冷源之一,对于地球气候系统起着重要的调节作用.本研究通过分析和总结北极地区器测数据和模拟集成结果,以及最近2 000 a来的温度记录,得出如下结果：1）格陵兰冰盖表层大气温度记录显示,20世纪存在1923—1965年和1994年—至今2个相对温暖时段,且前者更为温暖,温度变化幅度远大于北半球的平均温度.2）北极地区20世纪温度上升是客观存在的,其夏季温度和年平均温度呈现一致变化,未发现明显的温度异常信号.3）定量重建的古气候记录显示了北极地区20世纪升温的特征,但不同记录揭示的升温幅度存在差异.与器测结果不同,多条重建记录未能揭示自1994年至今的升温阶段,反映了古气候载体对气候响应的复杂性,揭示出北极地区未来气候变化趋势存在不确定性.在全球变化备受关注的背景下,北极地区对气候变化研究的重要性日益显现,在做出明确结论之前,需要进一步加大研究力度.     

楚科奇海阿拉斯加沿岸冰间湖的变化及其影响因素分析

利用2003—2011年AMSR-E(Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System)日平均海冰密集度数据,对楚科奇海阿拉斯加沿岸冰间湖进行了分析。针对冰间湖的特点,在阈值法的基础上,通过统计冰间湖出现的频率,限定冰间湖的最大范围,区分各个冰间湖。通过计算阿拉斯加沿岸冰间湖的面积,结合NCEP-DOE(National Centers for Environmental Prediction-Department of Energy)再分析风场数据和白令海峡潜标观测的温盐和海流数据,初步探讨冰间湖发生和发展的规律。为了排除海冰外缘区对判断冰间湖的影响,研究仅限于白令海峡完全冰封的1—4月,可得到以下结论:阿拉斯加西北沿岸海域每年冬季都会出现5个冰间湖,多数时间为紧靠大陆边缘的沿岸冰间湖,巴罗角附近海岸在3月和4月会出现位于沿岸固定冰之外的裂缝冰间湖。冰间湖面积每天都发生变化,表现出天气尺度的变化特征,经历长达数日的发展和消失的过程,与风场的转换有密切关系。离岸风有利于沿岸冰间湖的扩展,但是该海域1—4月的盛行风为东北风和北风,对于多数冰间湖而言为沿岸风,不利于冰间湖的形成,因而冰间湖有时消失长达数十日。在偏北风的影响下,太平洋入流对北部冰间湖几无作用,而对南部冰间湖的空间分布有着重要影响。