极地海冰的研究及其在气候变化中的作用

极地海冰作为全球气候系统的一个重要组成部分,通过影响大洋表面的辐射平衡、物质平衡、能量平衡以及大洋温、盐流的形成和循环而影响全球气候变化.从最初研究极地海冰的强度和承载力到目前海/冰/气相互作用全球气候耦合模型的建立,使海冰变化和全球气候变化紧密结合起来.这些研究领域主要有:海冰及其表层雪的物理特性和过程、海冰区域生态特征、海冰区与气候相关的反照率和物质平衡研究以及海冰气候耦合模型等大的领域.模拟显示,21世纪因为全球变暖,南北极海冰都将减少.海冰和全球气候系统其它要素之间的相互作用问题、极地海冰的厚度季节性区域性分布问题、极地海冰边界及范围变化趋势问题、生消关键过程及其影响因素问题、冰间湖的作用以及海气相互作用等将是未来重要的研究方向.

The Studies of Polar Sea Ice and Their Contribution to Climate Change Researches

As an important component of global climate system,the Polar sea ice impacts global climate by sea surface radiation balance,mass balance,energy balance,as well as the circulation of sea water temperature and salinity.Sea ice has been studied for a long time.Many correlative sea ice projects were established through extensive international cooperation,from the primary research of strength and bearing capacity of sea ice to the development of sea/ice/air coupled models. Based on these studies,sea ice variations were combined with global climate change.The research fields about sea ice includes: the physical properties and processes of sea ice,together with snow cover,the ecosystem of sea ice regions,albedos of sea ice and its snow cover,mass balance of sea ice regions,sea ice and climate coupled model.A simulation suggests that both the extent and volume of polar sea ice will decrease in the 21st century.With the developing of sea ice researches,more new scientific questions are raised,such as the interaction between sea ice and the other factors of global climate system,the seasonal and regional distributions of Polar sea ice thickness,Polar sea ice boundary and area changing trend,sea ice growth,melt and its influencing factors,the role of the polynya and sea/air interactions.