Articles | Volume 13, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2869-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2869-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 Nov 2019
Research article |
| 08 Nov 2019
| 08 Nov 2019
Estimating the sea ice floe size distribution using satellite altimetry: theory, climatology, and model comparison
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Lettie A. Roach
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand
Rachel Tilling
Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Cecilia M. Bitz
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Baylor Fox-Kemper
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Colin Guider
Department of Mathematics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Kaitlin Hill
School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Andy Ridout
Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, University College London, London, UK
Andrew Shepherd
Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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Cited
27 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A method for constructing directional surface wave spectra from ICESat-2 altimetry M. Hell & C. Horvat
- Impact of sea ice floe size distribution on seasonal fragmentation and melt of Arctic sea ice A. Bateson et al.
- Theoretical framework for the emergent floe size distribution in the marginal ice zone: the case for log-normality F. Montiel & N. Mokus
- Detection of multi-year ex-fast ice in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, using ICESat-2 satellite altimeter data Y. Koo et al.
- Sea ice floe size: its impact on pan-Arctic and local ice mass and required model complexity A. Bateson et al.
- Understanding the influence of ocean waves on Arctic sea ice simulation: a modeling study with an atmosphere–ocean–wave–sea ice coupled model C. Yang et al.
- Arctic sea ice sensitivity to lateral melting representation in a coupled climate model M. Smith et al.
- Sizes and Shapes of Sea Ice Floes Broken by Waves–A Case Study From the East Antarctic Coast A. Herman et al.
- Inferring the seasonality of sea ice floes in the Weddell Sea using ICESat-2 M. Gupta et al.
- Co-located OLCI optical imagery and SAR altimetry from Sentinel-3 for enhanced Arctic spring sea ice surface classification W. Chen et al.
- WIFF1.0: a hybrid machine-learning-based parameterization of wave-induced sea ice floe fracture C. Horvat & L. Roach
- Spinning ice floes reveal intensification of mesoscale eddies in the western Arctic Ocean G. Manucharyan et al.
- Wave–sea-ice interactions in a brittle rheological framework G. Boutin et al.
- A dataset of direct observations of sea ice drift and waves in ice J. Rabault et al.
- Size distribution and shape properties of brash ice in icebreaking channel of level ice C. Zhao et al.
- A novel sea ice floe fragmentation index using Sentinel-2 and AMSR2 satellite data based on machine learning W. Kim et al.
- Modelling the Arctic wave-affected marginal ice zone: a comparison with ICESat-2 observations G. Boutin et al.
- Scale‐Dependent Air‐Sea Exchange in the Polar Oceans: Floe‐Floe and Floe‐Flow Coupling in the Generation of Ice‐Ocean Boundary Layer Turbulence S. Brenner et al.
- Advances in Modeling Interactions Between Sea Ice and Ocean Surface Waves L. Roach et al.
- SubZero: A Sea Ice Model With an Explicit Representation of the Floe Life Cycle G. Manucharyan & B. Montemuro
- Contemporary and historical detection of small lakes using super resolution Landsat imagery: promise and peril E. Kyzivat & L. Smith
- Altimetric observation of wave attenuation through the Antarctic marginal ice zone using ICESat-2 J. Brouwer et al.
- Physics of the Seasonal Sea Ice Zone L. Roach et al.
- Impact of Arctic sea ice floe-scale anisotropy on airborne electromagnetic surveys J. Negrel et al.
- Theoretical model for predicting the break-up of ice covers due to wave-ice interaction C. Zhang & X. Zhao
- Parameterization of Submesoscale Mixed Layer Restratification under Sea Ice K. Shrestha & G. Manucharyan
- Observing Waves in Sea Ice With ICESat‐2 C. Horvat et al.
27 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A method for constructing directional surface wave spectra from ICESat-2 altimetry M. Hell & C. Horvat
- Impact of sea ice floe size distribution on seasonal fragmentation and melt of Arctic sea ice A. Bateson et al.
- Theoretical framework for the emergent floe size distribution in the marginal ice zone: the case for log-normality F. Montiel & N. Mokus
- Detection of multi-year ex-fast ice in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, using ICESat-2 satellite altimeter data Y. Koo et al.
- Sea ice floe size: its impact on pan-Arctic and local ice mass and required model complexity A. Bateson et al.
- Understanding the influence of ocean waves on Arctic sea ice simulation: a modeling study with an atmosphere–ocean–wave–sea ice coupled model C. Yang et al.
- Arctic sea ice sensitivity to lateral melting representation in a coupled climate model M. Smith et al.
- Sizes and Shapes of Sea Ice Floes Broken by Waves–A Case Study From the East Antarctic Coast A. Herman et al.
- Inferring the seasonality of sea ice floes in the Weddell Sea using ICESat-2 M. Gupta et al.
- Co-located OLCI optical imagery and SAR altimetry from Sentinel-3 for enhanced Arctic spring sea ice surface classification W. Chen et al.
- WIFF1.0: a hybrid machine-learning-based parameterization of wave-induced sea ice floe fracture C. Horvat & L. Roach
- Spinning ice floes reveal intensification of mesoscale eddies in the western Arctic Ocean G. Manucharyan et al.
- Wave–sea-ice interactions in a brittle rheological framework G. Boutin et al.
- A dataset of direct observations of sea ice drift and waves in ice J. Rabault et al.
- Size distribution and shape properties of brash ice in icebreaking channel of level ice C. Zhao et al.
- A novel sea ice floe fragmentation index using Sentinel-2 and AMSR2 satellite data based on machine learning W. Kim et al.
- Modelling the Arctic wave-affected marginal ice zone: a comparison with ICESat-2 observations G. Boutin et al.
- Scale‐Dependent Air‐Sea Exchange in the Polar Oceans: Floe‐Floe and Floe‐Flow Coupling in the Generation of Ice‐Ocean Boundary Layer Turbulence S. Brenner et al.
- Advances in Modeling Interactions Between Sea Ice and Ocean Surface Waves L. Roach et al.
- SubZero: A Sea Ice Model With an Explicit Representation of the Floe Life Cycle G. Manucharyan & B. Montemuro
- Contemporary and historical detection of small lakes using super resolution Landsat imagery: promise and peril E. Kyzivat & L. Smith
- Altimetric observation of wave attenuation through the Antarctic marginal ice zone using ICESat-2 J. Brouwer et al.
- Physics of the Seasonal Sea Ice Zone L. Roach et al.
- Impact of Arctic sea ice floe-scale anisotropy on airborne electromagnetic surveys J. Negrel et al.
- Theoretical model for predicting the break-up of ice covers due to wave-ice interaction C. Zhang & X. Zhao
- Parameterization of Submesoscale Mixed Layer Restratification under Sea Ice K. Shrestha & G. Manucharyan
- Observing Waves in Sea Ice With ICESat‐2 C. Horvat et al.
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 30 Apr 2026
Short summary
Changes in the floe size distribution (FSD) are important for sea ice evolution but to date largely unobserved and unknown. Climate models, forecast centres, ship captains, and logistic specialists cannot currently obtain statistical information about sea ice floe size on demand. We develop a new method to observe the FSD at global scales and high temporal and spatial resolution. With refinement, this method can provide crucial information for polar ship routing and real-time forecasting.
Changes in the floe size distribution (FSD) are important for sea ice evolution but to date...
