Large-scale processes governing the seasonal variability of the Antarctic sea ice

Noriaki Kimura; Masaaki Wakatsuchi

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0870.2011.00526.x

Large-scale processes governing the seasonal variability of the Antarctic sea ice

Tellus

Volume 63 (2011): Issue 4

By: Noriaki Kimura and Masaaki Wakatsuchi

Open Access

|Jan 2011

Abstract

The seasonal variability of sea-ice cover in the Southern Ocean is examined using daily sea-ice concentration and ice velocity products for 2003–2009, derived from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) data. This study quantitatively shows the contribution of (1) ice production/reduction within the sea ice, (2) ice production/reduction at the sea-ice edge and (3) zonal ice transport to the seasonal change of sea-ice area. Area of greatest ice production occurs along the coast of Ross Sea and East Antarctica from March to September. The contribution of zonal transport to the seasonal change of ice area is one order magnitude smaller than local ice production/reduction. Clear regional and seasonal differences are found in the large-scale processes named above. Generally, ice area increases due to ice production, both at the ice edge and within the pack in the autumn and winter. The most significant ice production at the ice edge occurred in the Weddell Sea; the ice production provides 56% of total increase of ice cover in this area. In contrast, moderate ice melting occurs at the ice edge through almost all months in the Indian Ocean sector.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0870.2011.00526.x | Journal eISSN: 3035-9554

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Language: English

Page range: 828 - 840

Submitted on: Jun 12, 2009

Accepted on: Apr 13, 2011

Published on: Jan 1, 2011

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 2011 Noriaki Kimura, Masaaki Wakatsuchi, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 63 (2011): Issue 4