The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4103-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4103-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
Research article
 | 
21 Sep 2023
Research article |  | 21 Sep 2023

New estimates of pan-Arctic sea ice–atmosphere neutral drag coefficients from ICESat-2 elevation data

Alexander Mchedlishvili, Christof Lüpkes, Alek Petty, Michel Tsamados, and Gunnar Spreen

Data sets

Gridded pan-Arctic total neutral atmospheric 10-m drag coefficient estimates derived from ICESat-2 ATL07 sea ice height data (Version 2). Alexander Mchedlishvili, Christof Lüpkes, Alek Petty, Michel Tsamados, and Gunnar Spreen https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.959728

AMSR2 ASI sea ice concentration data, Arctic, version 5.4 (NetCDF) (July 2012 - December 2019) Christian Melsheimer and Gunnar Spreen https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.898399

ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Sea Ice Height, Version 5 R. Kwok, A. A. Petty, G. Cunningham, T. Markus, D. Hancock, A. Ivanoff, J. Wimert, M. Bagnardi, N. Kurtz, and the ICESat-2 Science Team https://doi.org/10.5067/ATLAS/ATL07.005

IceBridge ATM L1B Elevation and Return Strength, Version 2 M. Studinger https://doi.org/10.5067/19SIM5TXKPGT

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Short summary
In this study we looked at sea ice–atmosphere drag coefficients, quantities that help with characterizing the friction between the atmosphere and sea ice, and vice versa. Using ICESat-2, a laser altimeter that measures elevation differences by timing how long it takes for photons it sends out to return to itself, we could map the roughness, i.e., how uneven the surface is. From roughness we then estimate drag force, the frictional force between sea ice and the atmosphere, across the Arctic.
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