Articles | Volume 16, issue 8
The Cryosphere, 16, 3181–3197, 2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3181-2022
The Cryosphere, 16, 3181–3197, 2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3181-2022
Research article
05 Aug 2022
Research article | 05 Aug 2022

Thickness of multi-year sea ice on the northern Canadian polar shelf: a second look after 40 years

Humfrey Melling

Cited articles

Agnew, T., Lambe, A., and Long, D.: Estimating sea ice area flux across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago using enhanced AMSR-E, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C10011, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JC004582, 2008. 
Alt, B., Wilson, K., and Carrières, T.: A case study of old ice import and export through the Peary and Sverdrup Channels of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Ann. Glaciol., 44, 329–338, 2006. 
Amundrud, T. L., Melling, H., and Ingram, R. G.: Geometrical constraints on the evolution of ridged sea ice, J. Geophys. Res., 109, C06005, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JC002251, 2004. 
Amundrud, T. L., Melling, H., Ingram, R. G., and Allen, S. E.: The effect of structural porosity on the melting of ridge keels in pack ice, J. Geophys. Res., 111, C06004, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JC002895, 2006. 
Bourke, R. H. and Garrett, R. P.: Sea ice thickness distribution in the Arctic Ocean, Cold Reg. Sci. Tech., 13, 259–280, 1987. 
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Short summary
The Canadian polar shelf has the world’s thickest old sea ice. Its islands impede ice drift to warmer seas. The first year of data from up-looking sonar viewing this shelf’s ice reveal that thick (> 3 m) old ice remains plentiful here, in contrast to its growing scarcity elsewhere. Arctic circulation continues to pack ice against the islands and during storms to create by ridging the very thick ice found here. This study reveals the importance of ridging to the mass balance of Arctic sea ice.