Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys Coordination and Ocean Profiles
Abstract
This grant has been for the coordination of and participation in the multi-investigator Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys (SIZRS) program through FY 2020. We make repeated ocean, ice, and atmospheric measurements from U.S. Coast Guard flights across the Beaufort Sea seasonal sea ice zone (SIZ) to track and understand the interplay among the ice, atmosphere, and ocean, contributing to the rapid decline in summer ice extent. We made 44 successful flights through 2020. Major findings include: month-to-month variations in the ocean show a consistent pattern when registered relative to ice edge position during ice edge retreat, and the pattern at any one location is consistent with simulations using a Price-Weller-Pinkel 1-D mixing model. Further, we found that by including the ocean surface velocity derived from CryoSat-2 altimetry in the ice-ocean stress calculation, that under anticyclonic wind stress, the Beaufort Gyre spins up until ocean velocity exceeds ice velocity retarded by internal ice stress. This negative feedback is responsible for stabilizing the gyre spin up.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1142146
Entities
People
- James Morison
Organizations
- University of Washington