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Interannual variability in sea-ice thickness in the pack-ice zone off Lutzow-Holm Bay, East Antarctica
Citation
Sugimoto, F and Tamura, T and Shimoda, H and Uto, S and Simizu, D and Tateyama, K and Hoshino, S and Ozeki, T and Fukamachi, Y and Ushio, S and Ohshima, KI, Interannual variability in sea-ice thickness in the pack-ice zone off Lutzow-Holm Bay, East Antarctica, Polar Science, 10, (1) pp. 43-51. ISSN 1873-9652 (2016) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. and NIPR
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.polar.2015.10.003
Abstract
Under the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) program, sea-ice thickness has been routinely monitored off Lützow–Holm Bay (East Antarctica) during the summer (mid-December to early January) since 2000/01, using an electromagnetic induction (EM) instrument onboard the icebreaker Shirase. Analysis of these data over a 10-year period, combined with visual observations using a simplified form of the ASPeCt (Antarctic Sea ice Processes and Climate) protocol, suggests a strong interannual variability in sea-ice thickness in this region. For the repeat pack-ice observation area, where the sea-ice thickness averaged over the nine seasons is ∼1.9 m, mean thicknesses of observed sea-ice in 2010/11 and 2011/12 are exceptionally large, at ∼3.3 and ∼5.8 m, respectively. This result is strongly related to regional patterns of sea ice dynamics. Ice convergence caused by anomalous northerly winds was particularly high in 2011/12, suggesting that the extremely thick ice observed in that season resulted largely from sea-ice deformation processes (including pressure ridging). Longer-term analysis of data from the past 34 years confirms that sea-ice conditions and thickness off Lützow–Holm Bay in summer are determined mainly by the large-scale pattern of atmospheric pressure in December.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | sea-ice thickness, electromagnetic-induction measurements, Antarctic Ocean, pack-ice zone, Lützow-Holm Bay |
Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
Research Group: | Oceanography |
Research Field: | Physical oceanography |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments |
Objective Field: | Antarctic and Southern Ocean oceanic processes |
UTAS Author: | Tamura, T (Dr Takeshi Tamura) |
ID Code: | 114489 |
Year Published: | 2016 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 5 |
Deposited By: | CRC-Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems |
Deposited On: | 2017-02-16 |
Last Modified: | 2017-10-31 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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