Articles | Volume 15, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2575-2021
© Author(s) 2021. 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-15-2575-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Jun 2021
Research article |
| 15 Jun 2021
| 15 Jun 2021
Interannual variability in Transpolar Drift summer sea ice thickness and potential impact of Atlantification
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Thomas Krumpen
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Luisa von Albedyll
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Tatiana A. Alekseeva
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Gerit Birnbaum
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Sergei V. Frolov
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
deceased
Stefan Hendricks
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Andreas Herber
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Igor Polyakov
International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, US
College of Natural Science and Mathematics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, US
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Ian Raphael
Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, Hanover, US
Robert Ricker
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Sergei S. Serovetnikov
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Melinda Webster
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, US
Christian Haas
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Physics/Electrical Engineering (Faculty 1), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Related authors
No articles found.
Dolly More, Igor V. Polyakov, and Andrey V. Pnyushkov
Ocean Sci., 22, 2267–2285, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-2267-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-2267-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The Arctic Ocean is changing fast, and river runoff plays a key role. Between 2015 and 2017, unusually large flows from Siberia’s Yenisey and Ob Rivers made the eastern Arctic much fresher. This stabilized the ocean, slowed currents, and reduced heat from below, allowing thicker sea ice to persist through summer. The study shows how bursts of river discharge can reshape the Arctic and help sea ice survive.
Patrick C. Taylor, Armin Sorooshian, Rei Ueyama, Sebastian Schmidt, Ihab Abboud, Quincy Allison, Kevin Barry, Sebastian Becker, Holly A. Bender, Joseph R. Bennett, James B. Blair, Niklas Bohn, Linette Boisvert, Matthew D. Brown, Roelof Bruintjes, Anthony Bucholtz, Megan Buzanowicz, Brian Cairns, Filippo Calì Quaglia, Eduard Chemyakin, Bo Chen, Gao Chen, Hong Chen, Yu-Wen Chen, Zezhen Cheng, Swarup China, Dan Chirica, Yonghoon Choi, Peter Colarco, Brian Collister, Ewan Crosbie, Maurice J. Cross, Janet Daniels, Paul DeMott, Joshua P. DiGangi, Alcide Giorgio di Sarra, Glenn S. Diskin, Erica K. Dolinar, Eva-Lou Edwards, Samuel Ephraim, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Romanos Foskinis, Francesca Gallo, Lan Gao, José Luis Gómez-Amo, Daisy Gonzalez, Christine Groot Zwaaftink, Pawan Gupta, Ivan Heckman, Michael Hendrickson, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Ken Hirata, Michelle Hofton, Andrew L. Holen, Ulas Im, Alia L. Khan, Ralph Kahn, Alexei V. Korolev, Sonia Kreidenweis, Thomas Krumpen, Nathan Kurtz, Leslie Lait, Bradley Lamkin, Jack Landy, Nurun Nahar Lata, Paul Lawson, Samuel LeBlanc, Sean Leavor, Jing Li, Thorsten Markus, Hal Maring, Andreas H. Massling, Camille Mavis, Flynn McGinnity, Kerry Meyer, Gabriel Mojica, Richard H. Moore, Parker Morris, Giovanni Muscari, Vikas Nataraja, Amin R. Nehrir, Athanasios Nenes, Edward P. Nowottnick, Matteo Ottaviani, Chelsea Parker, Ryan Patnaude, Michael Perez, Russell J. Perkins, Colten Peterson, Alek Petty, Stevie Phothisane, Chris Polashenski, Kerri A. Pratt, Kayla M. Preisler, John Prytherch, David Rabine, Jens Redemann, Ju-Mee Ryoo, Joseph S. Schlosser, Vanessa Selimovic, Michael A. Shook, Morgan Silverman, Henrik Skov, Alexander Smirnov, Cassidy Soloff, Amy Solomon, Snorre Stamnes, Azusa Takeishi, David R. Thompson, K. Lee Thornhill, Rachel Tilling, Michael Tjernström, Monica Tosco, Pedro C. Valdelomar, David Van Gilst, Jian Wang, Zhien Wang, Andrzej Wasilewski, Manfred Wendisch, Brent Wilder, Edward L. Winstead, Albert Wu, Peng Xian, Lauren M. Zamora, Jiaoshi Zhang, Lei Zhang, Lu Zhang, Luke Ziemba, and Paquita Zuidema
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-241, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-241, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This article summarizes the data sets collected during the Arctic Radiation Cloud aerosol Sea ice Interaction eXperiment (ARCSIX), NASA's most comprehensive Arctic field campaign to date. The overarching goal was to quantify the contributions of surface, clouds, aerosol particles, and precipitation to summer sea ice melt. This paper describes the ARCSIX implementation including the flight strategy, instruments, complementary data sets, access, and usage details.
Marion Bocquet, Robert Ricker, Torbjörn Kagel, Stefan Kern, Thomas Lavergne, Emily Down, and Stefan Hendricks
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4063, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4063, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic sea ice has changed dramatically in recent years, highlighting the need for better information on ice and snow thickness. We combined measurements from several satellites with ice motion data to create a daily updated record spanning from 2018 to 2025. By considering the ice drift in the sea-ice thickness gridding process, we captured finer spatial detail and produced more consistent estimates. The results provide a stronger basis for monitoring ongoing changes in the Southern Ocean.
Masao Uchida, Yuichiro Kumamoto, Igor Polyakov, Kanako Mantoku, Chie Amano, Motoo Utsumi, Yongwon Kim, Motoyo Itoh, Shigeto Nishino, Koji Shimada, and Naomi Harada
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-493, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-493, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new full-water-column Arctic Ocean dataset of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) radiocarbon (Δ¹⁴C) and δ¹³C, from R/V Mirai cruises (1999–2009) and the 2008 NABOS expedition: 255 new DIC Δ¹⁴C measurements (42 from NABOS 2008), each paired with δ¹³C and concentration. Combined with published records spanning 1979–2021, it resolves the surface, halocline, Atlantic Water and deep layers. The Atlantification interpretation appears in a companion paper.
Julien Meloche, Melody Sandells, Henning Löwe, Nick Rutter, Ghislain Picard, Richard Essery, Randall K. Scharien, Alexandre Langlois, Matthias Jaggi, Josh King, Peter Toose, Michele Scagliola, Jerome Bouffard, Alessandro Di Bella, and Christian Haas
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3615, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3615, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Sea ice thickness is essential for climate studies. Radar altimetry has provided sea ice thickness measurements, but uncertainty arises from the interaction of the signal with the snow cover. Therefore, modelling the signal interaction with the snow is necessary to improve retrieval. A radar model was used to simulate the radar signal from the snow-covered sea ice. This work paved the way to improved physical algorithms to retrieve snow depth and sea ice thickness for radar altimeter missions.
Luisa von Albedyll, Robert Ricker, Frank Kauker, Daniel Krogmann, and Stefan Hendricks
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3122, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3122, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Using satellite observations and model simulations, we studied winter Arctic sea ice thickness change. Separating thickening from ridging and thinning from lead opening showed that dynamic processes contribute nearly as much to winter ice growth as freezing. Between 2002 and 2020, dynamic thickness change increased linked to stronger sea ice deformation. This is consistent with the idea that sea ice dynamics partly counteract thinning of Arctic sea ice during ongoing climate warming.
Rebecca McPherson, Wilken-Jon von Appen, Laura de Steur, Luise Becker, Monica Ionita, Thomas Krumpen, Gunnar Spreen, and Finn Ole Heukamp
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2955, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2955, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The East Greenland Current carries cold, fresh water and sea ice from the Arctic toward the North Atlantic. Using seven years of ocean measurements off northeast Greenland, we found that the current occasionally develops a northward component on the continental slope that can persist for weeks. These events are driven by specific wind patterns that reorganise the current and push warm water into the Arctic — a previously unknown heat pathway, which has regional consequences for sea ice.
Ethan C. Campbell, Stephen C. Riser, and Melinda A. Webster
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2089, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2089, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The processes controlling snow evolution on Antarctic sea ice are poorly constrained from observations and models. We developed a new model that parameterizes key snow erosion and transformation mechanisms and calibrated it with snow buoy data. The simulation shows that more than one-third of deposited snow is lost before sea ice melt. Snow on sea ice is found to be a larger source of freshwater to the Southern Ocean than previously estimated, with implications for water mass transformation.
Ida Lundtorp Olsen, Henriette Skourup, Heidi Sallila, Stefan Hendricks, Renée Mie Fredensborg Hansen, Stefan Kern, Stephan Paul, Marion Bocquet, Sara Fleury, Dmitry Divine, and Eero Rinne
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 2469–2505, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2469-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2469-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Discover the latest advancements in sea ice research with our comprehensive Climate Change Initiative (CCI) sea ice thickness (SIT) Round Robin Data Package (RRDP). This pioneering collection contains reference measurements from 1960 to 2024 from airborne sensors, buoys, visual observations and sonar and covers the polar regions from 1993 to 2024, providing crucial reference measurements for validating satellite-derived sea ice thickness.
Niklas Neckel, Niels Fuchs, Jonathan Kolar, Thomas Kordes, and Christian Haas
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-714, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-714, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study summarizes challenges of operating consumer-grade UAVs over high-latitude Arctic pack ice. High ice-floe drift and the lack of commercial grid-mission solutions north of 85° N hinder the generation of void-free orthomosaics and DEMs. We present an autonomous high-latitude grid-flight approach with pre- and post-flight drift correction, applied during ArcWatch-2 (Aug/Sep 2024), enabling ice thickness, surface type and pond depth retrievals.
Valentin Ludwig, Caroline Ribere, Sara Fleury, Christian Haas, Michel Tsamados, Mahmoud El Hajj, Jerome Bouffard, Michele Scagliola, Marion Bocquet, Eric de Boisseson, Vincent Boulenger, Guillaume Boutin, Laurence Connor, Léo Edel, Stefan Hendricks, Ferran Hernández Macià, Marcus Huntemann, Lars Kaleschke, Frank Kauker, Jack Landy, Tom Megain, Alek Petty, Till Soya Rasmussen, Mads Hvid Ribergaard, Robert Ricker, Axel Schweiger, Hoyeon Shi, Xiangshan Tian-Kunze, Donghui Yi, and Alessandro Di Bella
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6201, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6201, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Our paper compares Arctic sea-ice thickness datasets from models, reanalyses, satellite-only, and multi-product sources. We validate them against Beaufort Sea reference data, compare large-scale products, and analyse time series. Cross-product biases range from 0.2–0.4 m, RMSDs from 0.4–0.9 m, and correlations from 0.5–0.8. We find no 2010–2023 trend, but 1995–2023 thinning of ~ 0.5 m in November and ~ 0.3 m in March.
Lena G. Buth, Thomas Krumpen, Niklas Neckel, Melinda A. Webster, Gerit Birnbaum, Niels Fuchs, Philipp Heuser, Ole Johannsen, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 19, 6527–6545, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6527-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6527-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic sea ice is becoming smoother, raising the question of how these changes affect melt pond coverage and thereby surface albedo. Using airborne imagery and laser altimeter data, we investigated how pressure ridges influence melt ponds. The presence of ridges does not directly control pond fraction, but it does influence pond size distribution and pond geometry. Small ponds have a more complex shape on rough ice than on smooth ice, while the opposite is true for large ponds.
Steven Franke, Mara Neudert, Veit Helm, Arttu Jutila, Océane Hames, Niklas Neckel, Stefanie Arndt, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 19, 6319–6339, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6319-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6319-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our research explored how icebergs affect the distribution of snow and flooding on Antarctic coastal sea ice. Using aircraft-based radar and laser scanning, we found that icebergs create thick snow drifts on their wind-facing sides and leave snow-free zones in their lee. The weight of these snow drifts often causes the ice below to flood, forming slush. These patterns, driven by wind and iceberg placement, are crucial for understanding sea ice changes and improving climate models.
Igor V. Polyakov, Andrey V. Pnyushkov, Eddy C. Carmack, Matthew Charette, Kyoung-Ho Cho, Steven Dykstra, Jari Haapala, Jinyoung Jung, Lauren Kipp, Eun Jin Yang, and Sergey Molodtsov
Ocean Sci., 21, 3105–3122, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3105-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3105-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Siberian Arctic Ocean greatly influences the Arctic climate system. Moreover, the region is experiencing some of the most notable Arctic climate change. In the summer, strong near-inertial currents in the upper (<30m) ocean account for more than half of the current speed and shear. In the winter, upper ocean ventilation due to atlantification distributes wind energy to far deeper (>100m) layers. Understanding the implications for mixing and halocline weakening depends on these findings.
Robert Ricker, Thomas Lavergne, Stefan Hendricks, Stephan Paul, Emily Down, Mari Anne Killie, and Marion Bocquet
The Cryosphere, 19, 3785–3803, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3785-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3785-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new method to map Arctic sea ice thickness daily using satellite measurements. We address a problem similar to motion blur in photography. Traditional methods collect satellite data over 1 month to get a full picture of Arctic sea ice thickness. But in the same way as in photos of moving objects, long exposure leads to motion blur, making it difficult to identify certain features in the sea ice maps. Our method corrects for this motion blur, providing a sharper view of the evolving sea ice.
Lena Happ, Sonali Patil, Stefan Hendricks, Riccardo Fellegara, Lars Kaleschke, and Andreas Gerndt
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., X-G-2025, 333–340, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-G-2025-333-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-G-2025-333-2025, 2025
Naoya Kanna, Kazutaka Tateyama, Takuji Waseda, Anna Timofeeva, Maria Papadimitraki, Laura Whitmore, Hajime Obata, Daiki Nomura, Hiroshi Ogawa, Youhei Yamashita, and Igor Polyakov
Biogeosciences, 22, 1057–1076, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1057-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1057-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This article presents data on iron and manganese, essential micronutrients for primary producers in the Arctic Laptev and East Siberian seas (LESS). There, observations were made through international cooperation with the Nansen and Amundsen Basin Observational System expedition during the late summer of 2021. The results from this study indicate that the major sources controlling the iron and manganese distributions on the LESS continental margins are river discharge and shelf sediment input.
Madison M. Smith, Niels Fuchs, Evgenii Salganik, Donald K. Perovich, Ian Raphael, Mats A. Granskog, Kirstin Schulz, Matthew D. Shupe, and Melinda Webster
The Cryosphere, 19, 619–644, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-619-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-619-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The fate of freshwater from Arctic sea ice and snowmelt impacts interactions of the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean. We complete a comprehensive analysis of datasets from a 2020 central Arctic field campaign to understand the drivers of the sea ice freshwater budget and the fate of this water. Over half of the freshwater comes from surface melt, and a majority fraction is incorporated into the ocean. Results suggest that the representation of melt ponds is a key area for future development.
Rui Xu, Chaofang Zhao, Stefanie Arndt, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 18, 5769–5788, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5769-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5769-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The onset of snowmelt on Antarctic sea ice is an important indicator of sea ice change. In this study, we used two radar scatterometers to detect the onset of snowmelt on perennial Antarctic sea ice. Results show that since 2007, snowmelt onset has demonstrated strong interannual and regional variabilities. We also found that the difference in snowmelt onsets between the two scatterometers is closely related to snow metamorphism.
Yi Zhou, Xianwei Wang, Ruibo Lei, Arttu Jutila, Donald K. Perovich, Luisa von Albedyll, Dmitry V. Divine, Yu Zhang, and Christian Haas
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2821, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2821, 2024
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines how the bulk density of Arctic sea ice varies seasonally, a factor often overlooked in satellite measurements of sea ice thickness. From October to April, we found significant seasonal variations in sea ice bulk density at different spatial scales using direct observations as well as airborne and satellite data. New models were then developed to indirectly predict sea ice bulk density. This advance can improve our ability to monitor changes in Arctic sea ice.
Lars Kaleschke, Xiangshan Tian-Kunze, Stefan Hendricks, and Robert Ricker
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3149–3170, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3149-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3149-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We describe a sea ice thickness dataset based on SMOS satellite measurements, initially designed for the Arctic but adapted for Antarctica. We validated it using limited Antarctic measurements. Our findings show promising results, with a small difference in thickness estimation and a strong correlation with validation data within the valid thickness range. However, improvements and synergies with other sensors are needed, especially for sea ice thicker than 1 m.
Gemma M. Brett, Greg H. Leonard, Wolfgang Rack, Christian Haas, Patricia J. Langhorne, Natalie J. Robinson, and Anne Irvin
The Cryosphere, 18, 3049–3066, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3049-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3049-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Glacial meltwater with ice crystals flows from beneath ice shelves, causing thicker sea ice with sub-ice platelet layers (SIPLs) beneath. Thicker sea ice and SIPL reveal where and how much meltwater is outflowing. We collected continuous measurements of sea ice and SIPL. In winter, we observed rapid SIPL growth with strong winds. In spring, SIPLs grew when tides caused offshore circulation. Wind-driven and tidal circulation influence glacial meltwater outflow from ice shelf cavities.
Niels Fuchs, Luisa von Albedyll, Gerit Birnbaum, Felix Linhardt, Natascha Oppelt, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 18, 2991–3015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2991-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2991-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Melt ponds are key components of the Arctic sea ice system, yet methods to derive comprehensive pond depth data are missing. We present a shallow-water bathymetry retrieval to derive this elementary pond property at high spatial resolution from aerial images. The retrieval method is presented in a user-friendly way to facilitate replication. Furthermore, we provide pond properties on the MOSAiC expedition floe, giving insights into the three-dimensional pond evolution before and after drainage.
Yi Zhou, Xianwei Wang, Ruibo Lei, Luisa von Albedyll, Donald K. Perovich, Yu Zhang, and Christian Haas
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1240, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1240, 2024
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines how the density of Arctic sea ice varies seasonally, a factor often overlooked in satellite measurements of sea ice thickness. From October to April, using direct observations and satellite data, we found that sea ice density decreases significantly until mid-January due to increased porosity as the ice ages, and then stabilizes until April. We then developed new models to estimate sea ice density. This advance can improve our ability to monitor changes in Arctic sea ice.
Karl Kortum, Suman Singha, Gunnar Spreen, Nils Hutter, Arttu Jutila, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 18, 2207–2222, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2207-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2207-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A dataset of 20 radar satellite acquisitions and near-simultaneous helicopter-based surveys of the ice topography during the MOSAiC expedition is constructed and used to train a variety of deep learning algorithms. The results give realistic insights into the accuracy of retrieval of measured ice classes using modern deep learning models. The models able to learn from the spatial distribution of the measured sea ice classes are shown to have a clear advantage over those that cannot.
Luisa von Albedyll, Stefan Hendricks, Nils Hutter, Dmitrii Murashkin, Lars Kaleschke, Sascha Willmes, Linda Thielke, Xiangshan Tian-Kunze, Gunnar Spreen, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 18, 1259–1285, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1259-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1259-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Leads (openings in sea ice cover) are created by sea ice dynamics. Because they are important for many processes in the Arctic winter climate, we aim to detect them with satellites. We present two new techniques to detect lead widths of a few hundred meters at high spatial resolution (700 m) and independent of clouds or sun illumination. We use the MOSAiC drift 2019–2020 in the Arctic for our case study and compare our new products to other existing lead products.
Qiang Wang, Qi Shu, Alexandra Bozec, Eric P. Chassignet, Pier Giuseppe Fogli, Baylor Fox-Kemper, Andy McC. Hogg, Doroteaciro Iovino, Andrew E. Kiss, Nikolay Koldunov, Julien Le Sommer, Yiwen Li, Pengfei Lin, Hailong Liu, Igor Polyakov, Patrick Scholz, Dmitry Sidorenko, Shizhu Wang, and Xiaobiao Xu
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 347–379, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-347-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-347-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Increasing resolution improves model skills in simulating the Arctic Ocean, but other factors such as parameterizations and numerics are at least of the same importance for obtaining reliable simulations.
Pablo Saavedra Garfias, Heike Kalesse-Los, Luisa von Albedyll, Hannes Griesche, and Gunnar Spreen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14521–14546, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14521-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14521-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
An important Arctic climate process is the release of heat fluxes from sea ice openings to the atmosphere that influence the clouds. The characterization of this process is the objective of this study. Using synergistic observations from the MOSAiC expedition, we found that single-layer cloud properties show significant differences when clouds are coupled or decoupled to the water vapour transport which is used as physical link between the upwind sea ice openings and the cloud under observation.
Alexandra M. Zuhr, Erik Loebel, Marek Muchow, Donovan Dennis, Luisa von Albedyll, Frigga Kruse, Heidemarie Kassens, Johanna Grabow, Dieter Piepenburg, Sören Brandt, Rainer Lehmann, Marlene Jessen, Friederike Krüger, Monika Kallfelz, Andreas Preußer, Matthias Braun, Thorsten Seehaus, Frank Lisker, Daniela Röhnert, and Mirko Scheinert
Polarforschung, 91, 73–80, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-91-73-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-91-73-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Polar research is an interdisciplinary and multi-faceted field of research. Its diversity ranges from history to geology and geophysics to social sciences and education. This article provides insights into the different areas of German polar research. This was made possible by a seminar series, POLARSTUNDE, established in the summer of 2020 and organized by the German Society of Polar Research and the German National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS Germany).
Damien Ringeisen, Nils Hutter, and Luisa von Albedyll
The Cryosphere, 17, 4047–4061, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4047-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4047-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
When sea ice is put into motion by wind and ocean currents, it deforms following narrow lines. Our two datasets at different locations and resolutions show that the intersection angle between these lines is often acute and rarely obtuse. We use the orientation of narrow lines to gain indications about the mechanical properties of sea ice and to constrain how to design sea-ice mechanical models for high-resolution simulation of the Arctic and improve regional predictions of sea-ice motion.
Ellen M. Buckley, Sinéad L. Farrell, Ute C. Herzfeld, Melinda A. Webster, Thomas Trantow, Oliwia N. Baney, Kyle A. Duncan, Huilin Han, and Matthew Lawson
The Cryosphere, 17, 3695–3719, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3695-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3695-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we use satellite observations to investigate the evolution of melt ponds on the Arctic sea ice surface. We derive melt pond depth from ICESat-2 measurements of the pond surface and bathymetry and melt pond fraction (MPF) from the classification of Sentinel-2 imagery. MPF increases to a peak of 16 % in late June and then decreases, while depth increases steadily. This work demonstrates the ability to track evolving melt conditions in three dimensions throughout the summer.
Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Robbie Mallett, Julienne Stroeve, Torsten Geldsetzer, Randall Scharien, Rasmus Tonboe, John Yackel, Jack Landy, David Clemens-Sewall, Arttu Jutila, David N. Wagner, Daniela Krampe, Marcus Huntemann, Mallik Mahmud, David Jensen, Thomas Newman, Stefan Hendricks, Gunnar Spreen, Amy Macfarlane, Martin Schneebeli, James Mead, Robert Ricker, Michael Gallagher, Claude Duguay, Ian Raphael, Chris Polashenski, Michel Tsamados, Ilkka Matero, and Mario Hoppmann
The Cryosphere, 17, 2211–2229, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2211-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2211-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We show that wind redistributes snow on Arctic sea ice, and Ka- and Ku-band radar measurements detect both newly deposited snow and buried snow layers that can affect the accuracy of snow depth estimates on sea ice. Radar, laser, meteorological, and snow data were collected during the MOSAiC expedition. With frequent occurrence of storms in the Arctic, our results show that
wind-redistributed snow needs to be accounted for to improve snow depth estimates on sea ice from satellite radars.
Karina von Schuckmann, Audrey Minière, Flora Gues, Francisco José Cuesta-Valero, Gottfried Kirchengast, Susheel Adusumilli, Fiammetta Straneo, Michaël Ablain, Richard P. Allan, Paul M. Barker, Hugo Beltrami, Alejandro Blazquez, Tim Boyer, Lijing Cheng, John Church, Damien Desbruyeres, Han Dolman, Catia M. Domingues, Almudena García-García, Donata Giglio, John E. Gilson, Maximilian Gorfer, Leopold Haimberger, Maria Z. Hakuba, Stefan Hendricks, Shigeki Hosoda, Gregory C. Johnson, Rachel Killick, Brian King, Nicolas Kolodziejczyk, Anton Korosov, Gerhard Krinner, Mikael Kuusela, Felix W. Landerer, Moritz Langer, Thomas Lavergne, Isobel Lawrence, Yuehua Li, John Lyman, Florence Marti, Ben Marzeion, Michael Mayer, Andrew H. MacDougall, Trevor McDougall, Didier Paolo Monselesan, Jan Nitzbon, Inès Otosaka, Jian Peng, Sarah Purkey, Dean Roemmich, Kanako Sato, Katsunari Sato, Abhishek Savita, Axel Schweiger, Andrew Shepherd, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Leon Simons, Donald A. Slater, Thomas Slater, Andrea K. Steiner, Toshio Suga, Tanguy Szekely, Wim Thiery, Mary-Louise Timmermans, Inne Vanderkelen, Susan E. Wjiffels, Tonghua Wu, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1675–1709, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Earth's climate is out of energy balance, and this study quantifies how much heat has consequently accumulated over the past decades (ocean: 89 %, land: 6 %, cryosphere: 4 %, atmosphere: 1 %). Since 1971, this accumulated heat reached record values at an increasing pace. The Earth heat inventory provides a comprehensive view on the status and expectation of global warming, and we call for an implementation of this global climate indicator into the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake.
Felix L. Müller, Stephan Paul, Stefan Hendricks, and Denise Dettmering
The Cryosphere, 17, 809–825, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-809-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-809-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Thinning sea ice has significant impacts on the energy exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. In this study we present visual and quantitative comparisons of thin-ice detections obtained from classified Cryosat-2 radar reflections and thin-ice-thickness estimates derived from MODIS thermal-infrared imagery. In addition to good comparability, the results of the study indicate the potential for a deeper understanding of sea ice in the polar seas and improved processing of altimeter data.
Julian Gutt, Stefanie Arndt, David Keith Alan Barnes, Horst Bornemann, Thomas Brey, Olaf Eisen, Hauke Flores, Huw Griffiths, Christian Haas, Stefan Hain, Tore Hattermann, Christoph Held, Mario Hoppema, Enrique Isla, Markus Janout, Céline Le Bohec, Heike Link, Felix Christopher Mark, Sebastien Moreau, Scarlett Trimborn, Ilse van Opzeeland, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Fokje Schaafsma, Katharina Teschke, Sandra Tippenhauer, Anton Van de Putte, Mia Wege, Daniel Zitterbart, and Dieter Piepenburg
Biogeosciences, 19, 5313–5342, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5313-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5313-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Long-term ecological observations are key to assess, understand and predict impacts of environmental change on biotas. We present a multidisciplinary framework for such largely lacking investigations in the East Antarctic Southern Ocean, combined with case studies, experimental and modelling work. As climate change is still minor here but is projected to start soon, the timely implementation of this framework provides the unique opportunity to document its ecological impacts from the very onset.
Jinfei Wang, Chao Min, Robert Ricker, Qian Shi, Bo Han, Stefan Hendricks, Renhao Wu, and Qinghua Yang
The Cryosphere, 16, 4473–4490, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4473-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4473-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The differences between Envisat and ICESat sea ice thickness (SIT) reveal significant temporal and spatial variations. Our findings suggest that both overestimation of Envisat sea ice freeboard, potentially caused by radar backscatter originating from inside the snow layer, and the AMSR-E snow depth biases and sea ice density uncertainties can possibly account for the differences between Envisat and ICESat SIT.
Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Ruzica Dadic, Philip Rostosky, Michael Gallagher, Robbie Mallett, Andrew Barrett, Stefan Hendricks, Rasmus Tonboe, Michelle McCrystall, Mark Serreze, Linda Thielke, Gunnar Spreen, Thomas Newman, John Yackel, Robert Ricker, Michel Tsamados, Amy Macfarlane, Henna-Reetta Hannula, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 16, 4223–4250, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4223-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4223-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Impacts of rain on snow (ROS) on satellite-retrieved sea ice variables remain to be fully understood. This study evaluates the impacts of ROS over sea ice on active and passive microwave data collected during the 2019–20 MOSAiC expedition. Rainfall and subsequent refreezing of the snowpack significantly altered emitted and backscattered radar energy, laying important groundwork for understanding their impacts on operational satellite retrievals of various sea ice geophysical variables.
Erik Loebel, Luisa von Albedyll, Rey Mourot, and Lena Nicola
Polarforschung, 90, 29–32, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-90-29-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-90-29-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
On the occasion of Polar Week in March 2021 and with the motto
let’s talk fieldwork, APECS Germany hosted an online polar fieldwork panel discussion. Joined by a group of six early-career polar scientists and an audience of over 140 participants, the event provided an informal environment for debating experiences, issues and ideas. This contribution summarizes the event, sharing practical knowledge about polar fieldwork and fieldwork opportunities for early-career scientists.
David N. Wagner, Matthew D. Shupe, Christopher Cox, Ola G. Persson, Taneil Uttal, Markus M. Frey, Amélie Kirchgaessner, Martin Schneebeli, Matthias Jaggi, Amy R. Macfarlane, Polona Itkin, Stefanie Arndt, Stefan Hendricks, Daniela Krampe, Marcel Nicolaus, Robert Ricker, Julia Regnery, Nikolai Kolabutin, Egor Shimanshuck, Marc Oggier, Ian Raphael, Julienne Stroeve, and Michael Lehning
The Cryosphere, 16, 2373–2402, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2373-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2373-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Based on measurements of the snow cover over sea ice and atmospheric measurements, we estimate snowfall and snow accumulation for the MOSAiC ice floe, between November 2019 and May 2020. For this period, we estimate 98–114 mm of precipitation. We suggest that about 34 mm of snow water equivalent accumulated until the end of April 2020 and that at least about 50 % of the precipitated snow was eroded or sublimated. Further, we suggest explanations for potential snowfall overestimation.
Janosch Michaelis, Amelie U. Schmitt, Christof Lüpkes, Jörg Hartmann, Gerit Birnbaum, and Timo Vihma
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 1621–1637, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1621-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1621-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A major goal of the Springtime Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (STABLE) aircraft campaign was to observe atmospheric conditions during marine cold-air outbreaks (MCAOs) originating from the sea-ice-covered Arctic ocean. Quality-controlled measurements of several meteorological variables collected during 15 vertical aircraft profiles and by 22 dropsondes are presented. The comprehensive data set may be used for validating model results to improve the understanding of future trends in MCAOs.
Klaus Dethloff, Wieslaw Maslowski, Stefan Hendricks, Younjoo J. Lee, Helge F. Goessling, Thomas Krumpen, Christian Haas, Dörthe Handorf, Robert Ricker, Vladimir Bessonov, John J. Cassano, Jaclyn Clement Kinney, Robert Osinski, Markus Rex, Annette Rinke, Julia Sokolova, and Anja Sommerfeld
The Cryosphere, 16, 981–1005, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-981-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-981-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Sea ice thickness anomalies during the MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) winter in January, February and March 2020 were simulated with the coupled Regional Arctic climate System Model (RASM) and compared with CryoSat-2/SMOS satellite data. Hindcast and ensemble simulations indicate that the sea ice anomalies are driven by nonlinear interactions between ice growth processes and wind-driven sea-ice transports, with dynamics playing a dominant role.
Arttu Jutila, Stefan Hendricks, Robert Ricker, Luisa von Albedyll, Thomas Krumpen, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 16, 259–275, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-259-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-259-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Sea-ice thickness retrieval from satellite altimeters relies on assumed sea-ice density values because density cannot be measured from space. We derived bulk densities for different ice types using airborne laser, radar, and electromagnetic induction sounding measurements. Compared to previous studies, we found high bulk density values due to ice deformation and younger ice cover. Using sea-ice freeboard, we derived a sea-ice bulk density parameterisation that can be applied to satellite data.
Nele Lamping, Juliane Müller, Jens Hefter, Gesine Mollenhauer, Christian Haas, Xiaoxu Shi, Maria-Elena Vorrath, Gerrit Lohmann, and Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand
Clim. Past, 17, 2305–2326, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2305-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2305-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed biomarker concentrations on surface sediment samples from the Antarctic continental margin. Highly branched isoprenoids and GDGTs are used for reconstructing recent sea-ice distribution patterns and ocean temperatures respectively. We compared our biomarker-based results with data obtained from satellite observations and estimated from a numerical model and find reasonable agreements. Further, we address caveats and provide recommendations for future investigations.
Marika M. Holland, David Clemens-Sewall, Laura Landrum, Bonnie Light, Donald Perovich, Chris Polashenski, Madison Smith, and Melinda Webster
The Cryosphere, 15, 4981–4998, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4981-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4981-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
As the most reflective and most insulative natural material, snow has important climate effects. For snow on sea ice, its high reflectivity reduces ice melt. However, its high insulating capacity limits ice growth. These counteracting effects make its net influence on sea ice uncertain. We find that with increasing snow, sea ice in both hemispheres is thicker and more extensive. However, the drivers of this response are different in the two hemispheres due to different climate conditions.
Don Perovich, Madison Smith, Bonnie Light, and Melinda Webster
The Cryosphere, 15, 4517–4525, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4517-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4517-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
During summer, Arctic sea ice melts on its surface and bottom and lateral edges. Some of this fresh meltwater is stored on the ice surface in features called melt ponds. The rest flows into the ocean. The meltwater flowing into the upper ocean affects ice growth and melt, upper ocean properties, and ocean ecosystems. Using field measurements, we found that the summer meltwater was equal to an 80 cm thick layer; 85 % of this meltwater flowed into the ocean and 15 % was stored in melt ponds.
Sean Horvath, Linette Boisvert, Chelsea Parker, Melinda Webster, Patrick Taylor, and Robyn Boeke
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-297, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-297, 2021
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic sea ice has been experiencing a dramatic decline since the late 1970s. A database is presented that combines satellite observations with daily sea ice parcel drift tracks. This dataset consists of daily time series of sea ice parcel locations, sea ice and snow conditions, and atmospheric states. This has multiple applications for the scientific community that can shed light on the atmosphere-snow-sea ice interactions in the changing Arctic environment.
Cited articles
Alekseeva, T., Tikhonov, V., Frolov, S., Repina, I., Raev, M., Sokolova, J.,
Sharkov, E., Afanasieva, E., and Serovetnikov, S.: Comparison of Arctic Sea
Ice Concentrations from the NASA Team, ASI, and VASIA2 Algorithms with Summer
and Winter Ship Data, Remote Sensing, 11, 2481, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11212481,
2019. a
Alfred Wegener Institute: Polar Research and Supply Vessel POLARSTERN
Operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and
Marine Research, Journal of Large-Scale Research Facilities, 3, A119,
https://doi.org/10.17815/jlsrf-3-163, 2017. a, b, c
Assmy, P., Fernández-Méndez, M., Duarte, P., Meyer, A., Randelhoff, A., Mundy, C. J., Olsen, L. M., Kauko, H. M., Bailey, A., Chierici, M., Cohen, L., Doulgeris, A. P., Ehn, J. K., Fransson, A., Gerland, S., Hop, H., Hudson, S. R., Hughes, N., Itkin, P., Johnsen, G., King, J. A., Koch, B. P., Koenig, Z., Kwasniewski, S., Laney, S. R., Nicolaus, M., Pavlov, A. K., Polashenski, C. M., Provost, C., Rösel, A., Sandbu, M., Spreen, G., Smedsrud, L. H., Sundfjord, A., Taskjelle, T., Tatarek, A., Wiktor, J., Wagner, P. M., Wold, A., Steen, H., and Granskog, M. A.: Leads in Arctic pack ice enable early
phytoplankton blooms below snow-covered sea ice, Sci. Rep., 7, 40850,
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40850, 2017. a
Belter, H. J., Krumpen, T., Hendricks, S., Hoelemann, J., Janout, M. A., Ricker, R., and Haas, C.: Satellite-based sea ice thickness changes in the Laptev Sea from 2002 to 2017: comparison to mooring observations, The Cryosphere, 14, 2189–2203, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2189-2020, 2020a. a
Belter, H. J., Krumpen, T., and Herber, A.: Electromagnetic induction raw data (EM Bird) of POLAR 6 during 2020 IceBird MOSAiC Summer campaign, PANGAEA [Dataset], https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.924916, 2020b. a
Cavalieri, D. J. and Parkinson, C. L.: Arctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2010, The Cryosphere, 6, 881–889, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-881-2012, 2012. a
Damm, E., Bauch, D., Krumpen, T., Rabe, B., Korhonen, M., Vinogradova, E., and
Uhlig, C.: The Transpolar Drift conveys methane from the Siberian Shelf to
the central Arctic Ocean, Sci. Rep., 8, 4515,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22801-z, 2018. a
Ezraty, R., Girard-Ardhuin, F., Piolle, J.-F., Kaleschke, L., and Heygster, G.:
Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Concentration and Arctic Sea Ice Drift
Estimated from Special Sensor Microwave Data, Spatial and Physical
Oceanography Laboratory IFREMER, Brest, France and University of Bremen,
Germany, version 2.1 Edn., 2007. a
Girard-Ardhuin, F. and Ezraty, R.: Enhanced Arctic Sea Ice Drift Estimation
Merging Radiometer and Scatterometer Data, IEEE T. Geosci.
Remote, 50, 2639–2648, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2012.2184124, 2012. a
Granskog, M., Assmy, P., Gerland, S., Spreen, G., Steen, H., and Smedsrud,
L. H.: Arctic research on thin ice – Consequences of Arctic sea ice loss,
Eos Trans. AGU, 97, 22–26, https://doi.org/10.1029/2016EO044097, 2016. a
Haas, C.: Late-summer sea ice thickness variability in the Arctic Transpolar
Drift 1991–2001 derived from ground-based electromagnetic sounding,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, 9, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL019394, 2004. a, b, c, d
Haas, C.: Sea ice thickness distribution, in: Sea ice, edited by: Thomas,
D. N., chap. 2, 3rd Edn., John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, 42–64,
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118778371, 2017. a
Haas, C., Gerland, S., Eicken, H., and Miller, H.: Comparison of sea-ice
thickness measurements under summer and winter conditions in the Arctic using
a small electromagnetic induction device, Geophysics, 62, 749–757,
https://doi.org/10013/epic.11729, 1997. a, b
Haas, C., Pfaffling, A., Hendricks, S., Rabenstein, L., Etienne, J.-L., and
Rigor, I. G.: Reduced ice thickness in Arctic Transpolar Drift favors rapid
ice retreat, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, 17, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL034457,
2008. a, b, c
Haas, C., Lobach, J., Hendricks, S., Rabenstein, L., and Pfaffling, A.:
Helicopter-borne measurements of sea ice thickness, using a small and
lightweight, digital EM system, J. Appl. Geophys., 67, 234–241,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jappgeo.2008.05.005, 2009. a
Haas, C., Hendricks, S., Eicken, H., and Herber, A.: Synoptic airborne
thickness surveys reveal state of Arctic sea ice cover, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 37, 9, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL042652, 2010. a, b
Hendricks, S. and Ricker, R.: C3S_312b_Lot3_CLS_2018SC2 – Product
User Guide and Specification, Copernicus Climate Change Service,
available at: http://datastore.copernicus-climate.eu/documents/satellite-sea-ice/thickness/D3.SIT.1-v1.1_PUGS_of_v1_Sea_Ice_Thickness_Products_v1.3_APPROVED_Ver1.pdf (last access: 2 July 2020),
2019. a
Hendricks, S., Paul, S., and Rinne, E.: ESA Sea Ice Climate Change Initiative
(Sea_Ice_cci): Northern hemisphere sea ice thickness from the CryoSat-2
satellite on a monthly grid (L3C), v2.0 (Oct 2020), DATA SET at Centre for
Environmental Data Analysis:
https://doi.org/10.5285/ff79d140824f42dd92b204b4f1e9e7c2,
2018a. a, b
Hendricks, S., Paul, S., and Rinne, E.: ESA Sea Ice Climate Change Initiative
(Sea_Ice_cci): Northern hemisphere sea ice thickness from the Envisat
satellite on a monthly grid (L3C), v2.0 (Oct 2020), DATA SET at Centre for
Environmental Data Analysis:
https://doi.org/10.5285/f4c34f4f0f1d4d0da06d771f6972f180,
2018b. a, b
Holland, M. M., Bitz, C. M., and Tremblay, B.: Future abrupt reductions in the
summer Arctic sea ice, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, 23,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL028024, 2006. a
Horvat, C., Jones, D. R., Iams, S., Schroeder, D., Flocco, D., and Feltham, D.:
The frequency and extent of sub-ice phytoplankton blooms in the Arctic
Ocean, Sci. Adv., 3, 3, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1601191, 2017. a
Hunkeler, P., Hendricks, S., Hoppmann, M., Farquharson, C., Kalscheuer, T.,
Grab, M., Kaufmann, M. S., Rabenstein, L., and Gerdes, R.: Improved 1D
inversions for sea ice thickness and conductivity from electromagnetic
induction data: Inclusion of nonlinearities caused by passive bucking,
Geophysics, 81, WA45–WA58, https://doi.org/10.1190/GEO2015-0130.1, 2016. a
Itkin, P. and Krumpen, T.: Winter sea ice export from the Laptev Sea preconditions the local summer sea ice cover and fast ice decay, The Cryosphere, 11, 2383–2391, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2383-2017, 2017. a
Ivanov, V. V., Alexeev, V. A., Repina, I., Koldunov, N. V., and Smirnov, A.:
Tracing Atlantic Water Signature in the Arctic Sea Ice Cover East of
Svalbard, Adv. Meteorol., 2012, 201818, https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/201818, 2012. a
Johannessen, O. M., Bengtsson, L., Miles, M. W., Kuzmina, S. I., Semenov,
V. A., Alekseev, G. V., Nagurnyi, A. P., Zakharov, V. F., Bobylev, L. P.,
Pettersson, L. H., Hasselmann, K., and Cattle, H. P.: Arctic climate change:
observed and modelled temperature and sea-ice variability, Tellus A, 56, 328–341,
https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v56i4.14418, 2004. a
Kalnay, E., Kanamitsu, M., Kistler, R., Collins, W., Deaven, D., Gandin, L.,
Iredell, M., Saha, S., White, G., Woollen, J., Zhu, Y., Chelliah, M.,
Ebisuzaki, W., Higgins, W., Janowiak, J., Mo, K. C., Ropelewski, C., Wang,
J., Leetmaa, A., Reynolds, R., Jenne, R., and Joseph, D.: The NCEP/NCAR
40-Year Reanalysis Project, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc.,
77, 437–472, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1996)077<0437:TNYRP>2.0.CO;2, 1996. a
Katlein, C., Arndt, S., Belter, H. J., Castellani, G., and Nicolaus, M.:
Seasonal Evolution of Light Transmission Distributions Through Arctic Sea
Ice, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 124, 5418–5435,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014833, 2019. a
Kern, S., Khvorostovsky, K., and Skourup, H.: D4.1 Product Validation and
Intercomparison Report (PVIR-SIT) – SICCI-PVIR-SIT, Tech. rep., European
Space Agency Sea Ice Climate Change Initiative, 2018. a
Kovacs, A. and Morey, R. M.: Sounding sea ice thickness using a portable
electromagnetic induction instrument, Geophysics, 56, 1992–1998,
https://doi.org/10.1190/1.1443011, 1991. a
Krishfield, R. A. and Perovich, D. K.: Spatial and temporal variability of
oceanic heat flux to the Arctic ice pack, J. Geophys. Res.,
110, C7, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JC002293, 2005. a
Krumpen, T.: TIFAX 2012 Summer Campaign – Sea ice thickness measurements with
Polar 5 from Station Nord and Svalbard, [Miscellaneous],
https://doi.org/10013/epic.6e9bb068-dd33-49ff-8b7b-6cc02ec201e7, 2012. a
Krumpen, T.: AWI ICETrack: Antarctic and Arctic Sea Ice Monitoring and
Tracking Tool, Vers. 1.3,
https://doi.org/10013/epic.9ee550b6-5966-4db6-a042-f4256810ec3f, 2018. a, b, c
Krumpen, T. and Sellmann, M.: Campaign Report TIFAX 2016: Sea ice thickness
measurements from Station Nord, Greenland, [Miscellaneous],
https://doi.org/10013/epic.51537, 2016. a
Krumpen, T. and Sokolov, V.: The Expedition AF122/1: Setting up the MOSAiC
Distributed Network in October 2019 with Research Vessel AKADEMIK FEDOROV,
Berichte zur Polar-und Meeresforschung, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar
and Marine Research, 744, 119,
https://doi.org/10013/epic.16bc0ab7-fe46-4fb5-ae69-3edc93a72356, 2020. a
Krumpen, T., Gerdes, R., and Herber, A.: TIFAX 2011 Summer Campaign – Sea ice
thickness measurements with Polar 5 from Station Nord and Svalbard,
[Miscellaneous], https://doi.org/10013/epic.2165dad3-b55c-48c1-9c6d-ca9969391809, 2011. a
Krumpen, T., Janout, M., Hodges, K. I., Gerdes, R., Girard-Ardhuin, F., Hölemann, J. A., and Willmes, S.: Variability and trends in Laptev Sea ice outflow between 1992–2011, The Cryosphere, 7, 349–363, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-349-2013, 2013. a
Krumpen, T., Sellmann, M., and Rohde, J.: TIFAX 2017 Campaign Report: Sea ice
thickness measurements with Polar 6 from Station Nord and Alert,
[Miscellaneous], https://doi.org/10013/epic.51536, 2017. a
Krumpen, T., Goessling, H., and Sellmann, M.: IceBird 2018 summer Campaign -
Sea ice thickness measurements with Polar 6 from Station Nord and Alert,
[Miscellaneous], https://doi.org/10013/epic.96923a78-d232-4bd8-82f4-337799d2fa07, 2018. a
Krumpen, T., Belter, H. J., Boetius, A., Damm, E., Haas, C., Hendricks, S.,
Nicolaus, M., Noethig, E.-M., Paul, S., Peeken, I., Ricker, R., and Stein,
R.: Arctic Warming interrupts the Transpolar Drift and affects long-range
transport of sea ice and ice-rafted matter, Nature Scientific Reports, 9, 5459,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41456-y, 2019. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i
Krumpen, T., Birrien, F., Kauker, F., Rackow, T., von Albedyll, L., Angelopoulos, M., Belter, H. J., Bessonov, V., Damm, E., Dethloff, K., Haapala, J., Haas, C., Harris, C., Hendricks, S., Hoelemann, J., Hoppmann, M., Kaleschke, L., Karcher, M., Kolabutin, N., Lei, R., Lenz, J., Morgenstern, A., Nicolaus, M., Nixdorf, U., Petrovsky, T., Rabe, B., Rabenstein, L., Rex, M., Ricker, R., Rohde, J., Shimanchuk, E., Singha, S., Smolyanitsky, V., Sokolov, V., Stanton, T., Timofeeva, A., Tsamados, M., and Watkins, D.: The MOSAiC ice floe: sediment-laden survivor from the Siberian shelf, The Cryosphere, 14, 2173–2187, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2173-2020, 2020. a, b, c, d, e, f
Kurtz, N. T., Farrell, S. L., Studinger, M., Galin, N., Harbeck, J. P., Lindsay, R., Onana, V. D., Panzer, B., and Sonntag, J. G.: Sea ice thickness, freeboard, and snow depth products from Operation IceBridge airborne data, The Cryosphere, 7, 1035–1056, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1035-2013, 2013. a
Lavergne, T.: Validation and Monitoring of the OSI SAF Low Resolution Sea Ice
Drift Product (v5), Technical report, The EUMETSAT Network of Satellite
Application Facility, https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.4155.5449, 2016. a
Lavergne, T., Sørensen, A. M., Kern, S., Tonboe, R., Notz, D., Aaboe, S., Bell, L., Dybkjær, G., Eastwood, S., Gabarro, C., Heygster, G., Killie, M. A., Brandt Kreiner, M., Lavelle, J., Saldo, R., Sandven, S., and Pedersen, L. T.: Version 2 of the EUMETSAT OSI SAF and ESA CCI sea-ice concentration climate data records, The Cryosphere, 13, 49–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-49-2019, 2019. a
Laxon, S. W., Giles, K. A., Ridout, A. L., Wingham, D. J., Willatt, R., Cullen,
R., Kwok, R., Schweiger, A., Zhang, J., Haas, C., Handricks, S., Krishfield,
R., Kurz, N., Farrell, S., and Davidson, M.: CryoSat-2 estimates of Arcitc
sea ice thickness and volume, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 732–737,
https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50193, 2013. a
Lin, L. and Zhao, J.: Estimation of Oceanic Heat Flux Under Sea Ice in the
Arctic Ocean, J. Ocean U. China, 18, 605–614,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-019-3877-7, 2019. a, b
Maykut, G. A.: Large-scale heat exchange and ice production in the central
Arctic, J. Geophys. Res., 87, 7971–7984,
https://doi.org/10.1029/JC087iC10p07971, 1982. a
Maykut, G. A. and McPhee, M. G.: Solar heating of the Arctic mixed layer,
J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 100, 24691–24703,
https://doi.org/10.1029/95JC02554, 1995. a
Maykut, G. A. and Untersteiner, N.: Some Results from a Time-Dependent
Thermodynamic Model of Sea Ice, J. Geophys. Res., 76, 6,
https://doi.org/10.1029/JC076i006p01550, 1971. a
McPhee, M. G., Kikuchi, T., Morison, J. H., and Stanton, T. P.: Ocean-to-ice
heat flux at the North Pole environmental observatory, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 30, 24, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL018580, 2003. a, b, c
Merkouriadi, I., Cheng, B., Graham, R. M., Roesel, A., and Granskog, M. A.:
Critical Role of Snow on Sea Ice Growth in the Atlantic Sector of the Arctic
Ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 10479–10485,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075494, 2017. a, b
Merkouriadi, I., Cheng, B., Hudson, S. R., and Granskog, M. A.: Effect of
frequent winter warming events (storms) and snow on sea-ice growth – a case
from the Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean during the N-ICE2015 campaign,
Ann. Glaciol., 61, 164–170, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.25, 2020. a, b, c
Nicolaus, M., Katlein, C., Maslanik, J., and Hendricks, S.: Changes in Arctic
sea ice result in increasing light transmittance and absorption, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 39, 24, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053738, 2012. a
NPI: Thickness of sea ice measured in the Fram Strait. Environmental
monitoring of Svalbard and Jan Mayen (MOSJ), Norwegian Polar Institute,
available at: http://www.mosj.no/en/climate/ocean/sea-ice-thickness-arctic-ocean-fram-strait.html (last access: 28 May 2020),
2018. a
Onarheim, I. H., Smedsrud, L. H., Ingvaldsen, R. B., and Nilsen, F.: Loss of
sea ice during winter north of Svalbard, Tellus A, 66, 23933, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v66.23933, 2014. a
Overland, J., Dunlea, E., Box, J. E., Corell, R., Forsius, M., Kattsov, V.,
Olsen, M. S., Pawlak, J., Reiersen, L.-O., and Wang, M.: The urgency of
Arctic change, Polar Sci., 21, 6–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polar.2018.11.008,
2019. a
Overland, J. E. and Wang, M.: When will the summer Arctic be nearly sea ice
free?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 2097–2101,
https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50316, 2013. a
Peeken, I., Primpke, S., Beyer, B., Guetermann, J., Katlein, C., Krumpen, T.,
Bergmann, M., Hehemann, L., and Gerdts, G.: Arctic sea ice is an important
temporal sink and means of transport for microplastic, Nat.
Commun., 9, 1505, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03825-5, 2018. a, b, c
Perovich, D., Richter-Menge, J., Polashenski, C., Elder, B., Arbetter, T., and
Brennick, O.: Sea ice mass balance observations from the North Pole
Environmental Observatory, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 2019–2025,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL059356, 2014. a
Perovich, D. K., Light, B., Eicken, H., Jones, K. F., Runciman, K., and Nghiem,
S. V.: Increasing solar heating of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas,
1979–2005: Attribution and role in the ice-albedo feedback, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 34, 19, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031480, 2007. a
Perovich, D. K., Jones, K. F., Light, B., Eicken, H., Markus, T., Stroeve, J.,
and Lindsay, R.: Solar partitioning in a changing Arctic sea-ice cover,
Ann. Glaciol., 52, 192–196, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931543, 2011. a, b
Pfaffling, A., Haas, C., and Reid, J. E.: A direct helicopter EM sea ice
thickness inversion, assessed with synthetic and field data, Geophysics, 72, 4,
https://doi.org/10.1190/1.2732551, 2007. a, b
Pfirman, S., Haxby, W., Eicken, H., Jeffries, M., and Bauch, D.: Drifting
Arctic sea ice archives changes in ocean surface conditions, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 31, 19, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020666, 2004. a, b, c
Pinker, R. T., Niu, X., and Ma, Y.: Solar heating of the Arctic Ocean in the
context of ice-albedo feedback, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans,
119, 12, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010232, 2014. a
Polyakov, I. V., Pnyushkov, A. V., Alkire, M. B., Ashik, I. M., Baumann, T. M.,
Carmack, E. C., Goszczko, I., Guthrie, J., Ivanov, V. V., Kanzow, T.,
Krishfield, R., Kwok, R., Sundfjord, A., Morison, J., Rember, R., and Yulin,
A.: Greater role for Atlantic inflows on sea-ice loss in the Eurasian Basin
of the Arctic Ocean, Science, 356, 285–291, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aai8204,
2017. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k
Polyakov, I. V., Rippeth, T. P., Fer, I., Alkire, M. B., Baumann, T. M.,
Carmack, E. C., Ingvaldsen, R., Ivanov, V. V., Janout, M., Padman, S. L. L.,
Pnyushkov, A. V., and Rember, R.: Weakening of Cold Halocline Layer Exposes
Sea Ice to Oceanic Heat in the Eastern Arctic Ocean, J. Climate, 33,
8107–8123, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0976.1, 2020. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j
Rabenstein, L., Hendricks, S., Martin, T., Pfaffhuber, A., and Haas, C.:
Thickness and surface-properties if different sea-ice regimes within the
Arctic Trans Polar Drift: Data from summers 2001, 2004 and 2007, J. Geophys. Res., 115, C12, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JC005846, 2010. a
Renner, A. H. H., Gerland, S., Haas, C., Spreen, G., Beckers, J. F., Hansen,
E., Nicolaus, M., and Goodwin, H.: Evidence of Arctic sea ice thinning from
direct observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 5029–5036,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL060369, 2014. a, b, c, d
Ricker, R., Hendricks, S., Helm, V., Skourup, H., and Davidson, M.: Sensitivity of CryoSat-2 Arctic sea-ice freeboard and thickness on radar-waveform interpretation, The Cryosphere, 8, 1607–1622, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1607-2014, 2014. a
Ricker, R., Hendricks, S., Kaleschke, L., Tian-Kunze, X., King, J., and Haas, C.: A weekly Arctic sea-ice thickness data record from merged CryoSat-2 and SMOS satellite data, The Cryosphere, 11, 1607–1623, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1607-2017, 2017. a
Smedsrud, L. H., Esau, I., Ingvaldsen, R. B., Eldevik, T., Haugan, P. M., Li,
C., Lien, V. S., Olsen, A., Omar, A. M., Ottera, O. H., Risebrobakken, B.,
Sandø, A. B., Semenov, V. A., and Sorokina, S. A.: The role of the
Barents Sea in the Arctic climate system, Rev. Geophys., 51,
415–449, https://doi.org/10.1002/rog.20017, 2013. a
Spreen, G., Kwok, R., and Menemenlis, D.: Trends in Arctic sea ice drift and
role of wind forcing: 1992–2009, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, 19,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL048970, 2011. a, b, c
Stroeve, J. C., Kattsov, V., Barrett, A., Pavlova, T., Holland, M., and Meier,
W. N.: Trends in Arctic sea ice extent from CMIP5, CMIP3 and observations,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, 16, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL052676, 2012. a
Sumata, H., Lavergne, T., Girard-Ardhuin, F., Kimura, N., Tschudi, M. A.,
Kauker, F., Karcher, M., and Gerdes, R.: An Intercomparison of Arctic ice
drift products to deduce incertainty estimates, J. Geophys.
Res.-Oceans, 119, 4887–4921, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JC009724, 2014. a
Tschudi, M., Meier, W. N., Stewart, J. S., Fowler, C., and Maslanik, J.: Polar
Pathfinder Daily 25 km EASE-Grid Sea Ice Motion Vectors, Version 4,
Boulder, Colorado USA, NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed
Active Archive Center, https://doi.org/10.5067/INAWUWO7QH7B, 2019. a
Wang, C., Granskog, M. A., Hudson, S. R., Gerland, S., Pavlov, A. K., Perovich,
D. K., and Nicolaus, M.: Atmospheric conditions in the central Arctic Ocean
through the melt seasons of 2012 and 2013: impact on surface conditions and
solar energy deposition into the ice-ocean system, J. Geophys.
Res.-Atmos., 121, 1043–1058, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023712, 2016. a, b, c
Wang, M. and Overland, J. E.: A sea ice free summer Arctic within 30 years?,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, 7, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL037820, 2009. a
WHOI: Upward-Looking Sonar data at BGEP Moorings from 2003 through 2013,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
available at: https://www.whoi.edu/page/preview.do?pid=66559 (last access: 28 May 2020), 2014. a
Zhang, J., Rothrock, D., and Steele, M.: Recent Changes in Arctic Sea Ice: the
Interplay between Ice Dynamics and Thermodynamics, J. Climate, 13,
3099–3114, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2000)013<3099:RCIASI>2.0.CO;2, 2000. a
Short summary
Summer sea ice thickness observations based on electromagnetic induction measurements north of Fram Strait show a 20 % reduction in mean and modal ice thickness from 2001–2020. The observed variability is caused by changes in drift speeds and consequential variations in sea ice age and number of freezing-degree days. Increased ocean heat fluxes measured upstream in the source regions of Arctic ice seem to precondition ice thickness, which is potentially still measurable more than a year later.
Summer sea ice thickness observations based on electromagnetic induction measurements north of...
