scholarly journals An ice core indicator of Antarctic sea ice production?

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric W. Wolff ◽  
Andrew M. Rankin ◽  
Regine Röthlisberger
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 276-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Rankin ◽  
Eric W. Wolff ◽  
Robert Mulvaney

AbstractIt has recently been shown that much sea-salt aerosol around the coast of Antarctica is generated not from open water, but from the surface of newly formed sea ice. Previous interpretations of ice-core records have disregarded the sea-ice surface as a source of sea salt. The majority of sea-salt aerosol at Halley research station originates from frost flowers rather than open water, and the seasonal cycle of sea salt in aerosol at Halley appears to be controlled by ice production in the Weddell Sea, as well as variations in wind speed. Frost flowers are also an important source of aerosol at Siple Dome, suggesting that variations in sea-salt concentrations in the core, and other cores drilled in similar locations, may be reflecting changes in sea-ice production rather than changes in transportation patterns. For Greenland cores, and those from low-accumulation inland sites in Antarctica, it is not simple to calculate the proportion of sea salt originating from frost flowers rather than open water. However, modelling studies suggest that a sea-ice surface source contributed much of the flux of sea salt to these sites in glacial periods, suggesting that interpretations of ice-core records from these locations should also be revisited.


1991 ◽  
Vol 37 (127) ◽  
pp. 357-367
Author(s):  
J.-L. Tison ◽  
E. M. Morris ◽  
R. Souchez ◽  
J. Jouzel

AbstractResults from a detailed profile in a 5.54 m multi-year sea-ice core from the rift area in the southern part of George VI Ice Shelf are presented. Stratigraphy, stable isotopes and Na content are used to investigate the growth processes of the ice cover and to relate them to melting processes at the bottom of the ice shelf.The thickest multi-year sea ice in the sampling area appears to be second-year sea ice that has survived one melt season. Combined salinity/stable-isotope analyses show large-scale sympathetic fluctuations that can be related to the origin of the parent water. Winter accretion represents half of the core length and mainly consists of frazil ice of normal sea-water origin. However, five major dilution events of sea water, with fresh-water input from the melting base of the ice shelf reaching 20% on two occasions, punctuate this winter accretion. Two of them correspond to platelet-ice production, which is often related to the freezing of ascending supercooled water from the bottom of the ice shelf.Brackish ice occurs between 450 and 530 cm in the core. It is demonstrated that this results from the freezing of brackish water (Jeffries and others, 1989) formed by mixing of normal sea water with melted basal shelf ice, with dilution percentages of maximum 80% fresh water.


2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (57) ◽  
pp. 347-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon B. Sneed ◽  
Paul A. Mayewski ◽  
Daniel A. Dixon

AbstractUsing results stemming from the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE) ice-core array plus data from ice cores from the South Pole and Siple Dome we investigate the use of sodium (Na+), non-sea-salt sulfate (nssSO42–) and methylsulfonate (MS–) as proxies for Antarctic sea-ice extent (SIE). Maximum and mean annual chemistry concentrations for these three species correlate significantly with maximum, mean and minimum annual SIE, offering more information and clarification than single ice-core and single species approaches. Significant correlations greater than 90% exist between Na+ and maximum SIE; nssSO42– with minimum and mean SIE; and MS– with mean SIE. Correlations with SIE within large geographic regions are in the same direction for all ice-core sites for Na+ and nssSO42– but not MS–. All ice cores display an SIE correlation with nssSO42– and MS–, but not all correlate with Na+. This multi-core multi-parameter study provides the initial step in determining which chemical species can be used reliably and in which regions as a building block for embedding other ice-core records. Once established, the resulting temporal and spatial matrix can be used to relate ice extents, atmospheric patterns, biological productivity and site conditions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory H. Leonard ◽  
Patricia J. Langhorne ◽  
Michael J.M. Williams ◽  
Ross Vennell ◽  
Craig R. Purdie ◽  
...  

AbstractHere we describe the evolution through winter of a layer of in situ supercooled water beneath the sea ice at a site close to the McMurdo Ice Shelf. From early winter (May), the temperature of the upper water column was below its surface freezing point, implying contact with an ice shelf at depth. By late winter the supercooled layer was c. 40 m deep with a maximum supercooling of c. 25 mK located 1–2 m below the sea ice-water interface. Transitory in situ supercooling events were also observed, one lasting c. 17 hours and reaching a depth of 70 m. In spite of these very low temperatures the isotopic composition of the water was relatively heavy, suggesting little glacial melt. Further, the water's temperature-salinity signature indicates contributions to water mass properties from High Salinity Shelf Water produced in areas of high sea ice production to the north of McMurdo Sound. Our measurements imply the existence of a heat sink beneath the supercooled layer that extracts heat from the ocean to thicken and cool this layer and contributes to the thickness of the sea ice cover. This sink is linked to the circulation pattern of the McMurdo Sound.


2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (58) ◽  
pp. 44-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumito Matoba ◽  
Takayuki Shiraiwa ◽  
Akane Tsushima ◽  
Hirotaka Sasaki ◽  
Yaroslav D. Muravyev

AbstarctThe Sea of Okhotsk is the southernmost area in the Northern Hemisphere where seasonal sea ice is produced every year. The formation of sea ice drives thermohaline circulation in the Sea of Okhotsk, and this circulation supports the high productivity in the region. However, recent reports have indicated that sea-ice production in the Sea of Okhotsk is decreasing, raising concern that the decreased sea ice will affect not only circulation but also biological productivity in the sea. To reconstruct climatic changes in the Sea of Okhotsk region, we analyzed an ice core obtained from Ichinskaya Sopka (Mount Ichinsky), Kamchatka. We assumed that the remarkable negative peaks of δD in the ice core were caused by expansion of sea ice in the Sea of Okhotsk. Melt feature percentage (MFP), which indicates summer snowmelt, showed high values in the 1950–60s and the mid-1990s–2000s. The high MFP in the 1950–60s was assumed to be caused by an increase in cyclone activity reaching Kamchatka during a negative period of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation index, and that in the 1990–2000s may reflect the increase in solar irradiation during a positive period of the summer Arctic Oscillation index.


1991 ◽  
Vol 37 (127) ◽  
pp. 357-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-L. Tison ◽  
E. M. Morris ◽  
R. Souchez ◽  
J. Jouzel

AbstractResults from a detailed profile in a 5.54 m multi-year sea-ice core from the rift area in the southern part of George VI Ice Shelf are presented. Stratigraphy, stable isotopes and Na content are used to investigate the growth processes of the ice cover and to relate them to melting processes at the bottom of the ice shelf.The thickest multi-year sea ice in the sampling area appears to be second-year sea ice that has survived one melt season. Combined salinity/stable-isotope analyses show large-scale sympathetic fluctuations that can be related to the origin of the parent water. Winter accretion represents half of the core length and mainly consists of frazil ice of normal sea-water origin. However, five major dilution events of sea water, with fresh-water input from the melting base of the ice shelf reaching 20% on two occasions, punctuate this winter accretion. Two of them correspond to platelet-ice production, which is often related to the freezing of ascending supercooled water from the bottom of the ice shelf.Brackish ice occurs between 450 and 530 cm in the core. It is demonstrated that this results from the freezing of brackish water (Jeffries and others, 1989) formed by mixing of normal sea water with melted basal shelf ice, with dilution percentages of maximum 80% fresh water.


1982 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 113-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Gow ◽  
S.F. Ackley ◽  
W.F. Weeks ◽  
J.W. Govoni

Observations during February and March 1980 of structures in 66 separate floes in Weddell Sea pack ice show widespread occurrence of frazil ice in amounts not previously reported in sea ice of comparable age and thickness in the Arctic. It is estimated that as much as 50% of the total ice production in the Weddell Sea is generated as frazil. Average floe salinities also appear higher than those of their Arctic counterparts. Comparative studies of fast ice at 28 locations in McMurdo Sound show this ice to be composed almost entirely of congelation ice that exhibits crystalline textures and orientations that are similar to those observed in Arctic fast ice. However, average fast-ice salinities in McMurdo Sound are higher than those reported for Arctic fast ice of comparable age and thickness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (82) ◽  
pp. 196-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison L. Kohout ◽  
Madison Smith ◽  
Lettie A. Roach ◽  
Guy Williams ◽  
Fabien Montiel ◽  
...  

AbstractQuantifying the rate of wave attenuation in sea ice is key to understanding trends in the Antarctic marginal ice zone extent. However, a paucity of observations of waves in sea ice limits progress on this front. We deployed 14 waves-in-ice observation systems (WIIOS) on Antarctic sea ice during the Polynyas, Ice Production, and seasonal Evolution in the Ross Sea expedition (PIPERS) in 2017. The WIIOS provide in situ measurement of surface wave characteristics. Two experiments were conducted, one while the ship was inbound and one outbound. The sea ice throughout the experiments generally consisted of pancake and young ice <0.5 m thick. The WIIOS survived a minimum of 4 d and a maximum of 6 weeks. Several large-wave events were captured, with the largest recorded significant wave height over 9 m. We find that the total wave energy measured by the WIIOS generally decays exponentially in the ice and the rate of decay depends on ice concentration.


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (21) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Meiners ◽  
M. Vancoppenolle ◽  
S. Thanassekos ◽  
G. S. Dieckmann ◽  
D. N. Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Core ◽  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document