The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 20, issue 7
Articles | Volume 20, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4017-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4017-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 20, issue 7
Research article
 | 
21 Jul 2026
Research article |  | 21 Jul 2026

Investigating the drivers of wintertime Southern Ocean sea-ice leads using random forest algorithms

Umesh Dubey, Sascha Willmes, and Günther Heinemann

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Short summary
Cracks and openings in sea ice, called leads, play an important role in regulating heat exchange between ocean and atmosphere, affecting global climate patterns. This study used a machine learning model trained on wintertime data from 2003 to 2023 to identify the key drivers of leads across the Southern Ocean and sub-regions. The analysis shows that directional wind components, ocean currents and ice divergence are the primary drivers, though their importance differs across regions and seasons.
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