The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 15, issue 8
Articles | Volume 15, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4099-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4099-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 15, issue 8
Research article
 | 
26 Aug 2021
Research article |  | 26 Aug 2021

Satellite altimetry detection of ice-shelf-influenced fast ice

Gemma M. Brett, Daniel Price, Wolfgang Rack, and Patricia J. Langhorne

Data sets

Drill hole measurements of fast ice and sub-ice platelet layer thickness, and snow depth in McMurdo Sound – November/December 2011 Langhorne, P. J., Leonard, G., Gough, A. J., Hughes, K. G., Haas, C., Beckers, J. F., Price, D., Barnsdale, K., Rack, W., and Brett, G. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.933079

Drill hole measurements of fast ice and sub-ice platelet layer thickness, and snow depth in McMurdo Sound – November 2013 Rack, W., Haas, C., Price, D., Langhorne, P. J., Leonard, G., and Brett, G. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.933078

Drill hole measurements of fast ice and sub-ice platelet layer thickness, and snow depth in McMurdo Sound – November 2017 Langhorne, P. J., Leonard, G., Brett, G., Rack, W., Haas, C., Fraser, E., Xie, H., Bault, J., and Gao, Y. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.933076

Drill hole measurements of fast ice and sub-ice platelet layer thickness, and snow depth in McMurdo Sound - November 2018 Brett, G., Leonard, G., Isaacs, F., and Robinson, N. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.933050

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Short summary
Ice shelf meltwater in the surface ocean affects sea ice formation, causing it to be thicker and, in particular conditions, to have a loose mass of platelet ice crystals called a sub‐ice platelet layer beneath. This causes the sea ice freeboard to stand higher above sea level. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the signature of ice shelf meltwater in the surface ocean manifesting as higher sea ice freeboard in McMurdo Sound is detectable from space using satellite technology.
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