Articles | Volume 19, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3915-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3915-2025
Research article
 | 
18 Sep 2025
Research article |  | 18 Sep 2025

Regional and seasonal evolution of melt ponds on Arctic sea ice

Hannah Niehaus, Gunnar Spreen, Larysa Istomina, and Marcel Nicolaus

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 et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.959728

ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1940 to present Copernicus Climate Change Service https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47

Download
Short summary
Melt ponds on Arctic sea ice affect how much solar energy is absorbed, impacting Arctic warming and global climate. In this study satellite data (2017–2023) is used to examine how these ponds vary across regions and seasons. The results show that the surface fraction of melt ponds is more stable in the Central Arctic, with air temperature and surface roughness playing key roles in their formation. Understanding these patterns can help to improve climate models and predictions for Arctic warming.
Share