Arctic sea ice melt may be causing extreme weather

Physics Today ◽  
2014 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Arctic Sea

Unexpectedly high dimethyl sulfide concentration in high-latitude Arctic sea ice melt ponds

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1642-1649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyhong Park ◽  
Intae Kim ◽  
Jung-Ok Choi ◽  
Youngju Lee ◽  
Jinyoung Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Dimethyl Sulfide ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Sulfide Concentration ◽  
Sea Ice Concentration ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Melt Ponds ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Ice Concentration

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) production in the northern Arctic Ocean has been considered to be minimal because of high sea ice concentration and extremely low productivity.

scholarly journals Physical and optical characteristics of heavily melted “rotten” Arctic sea ice

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 775-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carie M. Frantz ◽  
Bonnie Light ◽  
Samuel M. Farley ◽  
Shelly Carpenter ◽  
Ross Lieblappen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Scattering ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Micro Computed Tomography ◽  
Structural Anisotropy ◽  
Scattering Coefficients ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Arctic Sea

Abstract. Field investigations of the properties of heavily melted “rotten” Arctic sea ice were carried out on shorefast and drifting ice off the coast of Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, during the melt season. While no formal criteria exist to qualify when ice becomes rotten, the objective of this study was to sample melting ice at the point at which its structural and optical properties are sufficiently advanced beyond the peak of the summer season. Baseline data on the physical (temperature, salinity, density, microstructure) and optical (light scattering) properties of shorefast ice were recorded in May and June 2015. In July of both 2015 and 2017, small boats were used to access drifting rotten ice within ∼32 km of Utqiaġvik. Measurements showed that pore space increased as ice temperature increased (−8 to 0 ∘C), ice salinity decreased (10 to 0 ppt), and bulk density decreased (0.9 to 0.6 g cm−3). Changes in pore space were characterized with thin-section microphotography and X-ray micro-computed tomography in the laboratory. These analyses yielded changes in average brine inclusion number density (which decreased from 32 to 0.01 mm−3), mean pore size (which increased from 80 µm to 3 mm), and total porosity (increased from 0 % to > 45 %) and structural anisotropy (variable, with values of generally less than 0.7). Additionally, light-scattering coefficients of the ice increased from approximately 0.06 to > 0.35 cm−1 as the ice melt progressed. Together, these findings indicate that the properties of Arctic sea ice at the end of melt season are significantly distinct from those of often-studied summertime ice. If such rotten ice were to become more prevalent in a warmer Arctic with longer melt seasons, this could have implications for the exchange of fluid and heat at the ocean surface.

scholarly journals Meltwater sources and sinks for multiyear Arctic sea ice in summer

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 4517-4525
Author(s):  
Don Perovich ◽  
Madison Smith ◽  
Bonnie Light ◽  
Melinda Webster
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Heat Budget ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Sources And Sinks ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Melt Ponds ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Ice Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Heat Budget

Abstract. On Arctic sea ice, the melt of snow and sea ice generate a summertime flux of fresh water to the upper ocean. The partitioning of this meltwater to storage in melt ponds and deposition in the ocean has consequences for the surface heat budget, the sea ice mass balance, and primary productivity. Synthesizing results from the 1997–1998 SHEBA field experiment, we calculate the sources and sinks of meltwater produced on a multiyear floe during summer melt. The total meltwater input to the system from snowmelt, ice melt, and precipitation from 1 June to 9 August was equivalent to a layer of water 80 cm thick over the ice-covered and open ocean. A total of 85 % of this meltwater was deposited in the ocean, and only 15 % of this meltwater was stored in ponds. The cumulative contributions of meltwater input to the ocean from drainage from the ice surface and bottom melting were roughly equal.

scholarly journals Physical and optical characteristics of heavily melted "rotten" Arctic sea ice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carie M. Frantz ◽  
Bonnie Light ◽  
Samuel M. Farley ◽  
Shelly Carpenter ◽  
Ross Lieblappen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Scattering ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Micro Computed Tomography ◽  
Structural Anisotropy ◽  
Scattering Coefficients ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Arctic Sea

Abstract. Field investigations of the properties of heavily melted "rotten" Arctic sea ice were carried out on shorefast and drifting ice off the coast of Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska during the melt season. While no formal criteria exist to qualify when ice becomes "rotten", the objective of this study was to sample melting ice at the point where its structural and optical properties are sufficiently advanced beyond the peak of the summer season. Baseline data on the physical (temperature, salinity, density, microstructure) and optical (light scattering) properties of shorefast ice were recorded in May and June 2015. In July of both 2015 and 2017, small boats were used to access drifting "rotten" ice within ~ 32 km of Utqiaġvik. Measurements showed that pore space increased as ice temperature increased (−8 °C to 0 °C), ice salinity decreased (10 ppt to 0 ppt), and bulk density decreased (0.9 g cm-3 to 0.6 g cm-3). Changes in pore space were characterized with thin-section microphotography and X-ray micro-computed tomography in the laboratory. These analyses yielded changes in average brine inclusion number density (which decreased from 32 mm-3 to 0.01 mm-3), mean pore size (which increased from 80 μm to 3 mm) as well as total porosity (increased from 0 % to > 45 %) and structural anisotropy (variable, with values generally less than 0.7). Additionally, light scattering coefficients of the ice increased from approximately 0.06 cm-1 to > 0.35 cm-1 as the ice melt progressed. Together, these findings indicate that Arctic sea ice at the end of melt season is physically different from the often-studied summertime ice. If such rotten ice were to become more prevalent in a warmer Arctic, this could have implications for the exchange of fluid and heat at the ocean surface.

scholarly journals Pollution over the Tibetan Plateau Linked to Sea Ice Loss in the Arctic

Eos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Allen
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Anthropogenic Aerosol ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Aerosol Pollution ◽  
New Research

New research suggests an atmospheric connection between Arctic sea ice melt and anthropogenic aerosol pollution over the Tibetan Plateau.

scholarly journals Definition differences and internal variability affect the simulated Arctic sea ice melt season

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Ahlert ◽  
Alexandra Jahn
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Marine Ecology ◽  
Passive Microwave ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Season Length ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Arctic Sea

Abstract. Satellite observations show that the Arctic sea ice melt season is getting longer. This lengthening has important implications for the Arctic Ocean's radiation budget, marine ecology and accessibility. Here we assess how passive microwave satellite observations of the melt season can be used for climate model evaluation. By using the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble (CESM LE), we evaluate the effect of multiple possible definitions of melt onset, freeze onset and melt season length on comparisons with passive microwave satellite data, while taking into account the impacts of internal variability. We find that within the CESM LE, melt onset shows a higher sensitivity to definition choices than freeze onset, while freeze onset is more greatly impacted by internal variability. The CESM LE accurately simulates that the trend in freeze onset largely drives the observed pan-Arctic trend in melt season length. Under RCP8.5 forcing, the CESM LE projects that freeze onset dates will continue to shift later, leading to a pan-Arctic average melt season length of 7–9 months by the end of the 21st century. However, none of the available model definitions produce trends in the pan-Arctic melt season length as large as seen in passive microwave observations. This suggests a model bias, which might be a factor in the generally underestimated response of sea ice loss to global warming in the CESM LE. Overall, our results show that the choice of model melt season definition is highly dependent on the question posed, and none of the definitions exactly matches the physics underlying the passive microwave observations.

scholarly journals Definition differences and internal variability affect the simulated Arctic sea ice melt season

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Smith ◽  
Alexandra Jahn
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Marine Ecology ◽  
Passive Microwave ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Season Length ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Arctic Sea

Abstract. Satellite observations show that the Arctic sea ice melt season is getting longer. This lengthening has important implications for the Arctic Ocean's radiation budget, marine ecology and accessibility. Here we assess how passive microwave satellite observations of the melt season can be used for climate model evaluation. By using the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble (CESM LE), we evaluate the effect of multiple possible definitions of melt onset, freeze onset and melt season length on comparisons with passive microwave satellite data, while taking into account the impacts of internal variability. We find that within the CESM LE, melt onset shows a higher sensitivity to definition choices than freeze onset, while freeze onset is more greatly impacted by internal variability. The CESM LE accurately simulates that the trend in freeze onset largely drives the observed pan-Arctic trend in melt season length. Under RCP8.5 forcing, the CESM LE projects that freeze onset dates will continue to shift later, leading to a pan-Arctic average melt season length of 7–9 months by the end of the 21st century. However, none of the available model definitions produce trends in the pan-Arctic melt season length as large as seen in passive microwave observations. This suggests a model bias, which might be a factor in the generally underestimated response of sea ice loss to global warming in the CESM LE. Overall, our results show that the choice of model melt season definition is highly dependent on the question posed, and none of the definitions exactly match the physics underlying the passive microwave observations.

Snow on Arctic sea ice in a warming climate as simulated in CESM

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Webster ◽  
Alice DuVivier ◽  
Marika Holland ◽  
David Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
System Model ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
Community Earth System Model ◽  
Snow Distribution ◽  
Snow Conditions

<p>Snow on Arctic sea ice is important for several reasons: it creates a habitat for microorganisms and mammals, it changes sea-ice growth and melt, and it affects the speed at which ships and people can travel through sea ice. Therefore, investigating how snow on Arctic sea ice may change in a warming climate is useful for anticipating its potential effects on ecosystems, sea ice, and socioeconomic activities. Here, we use experiments from two versions of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) to study how snow conditions change over time. Comparison with observations indicates that CESM2 produces an overly-thin, overly-uniform snow distribution, while CESM1-LE produces a variable, excessively-thick snow cover. The 1950-2050 snow depth trend in CESM2 is 75% smaller than in CESM1-LE due to CESM2 having less snow. In CESM1-LE, long-lasting, thick sea ice, cool summers, and excessive summer snowfall facilitate a thicker, longer-lasting snow cover. In a warming climate, CESM2 shows that snow on Arctic sea ice will: (1) have greater, earlier spring melt, (2) accumulate less in summer-autumn, (3) sublimate more, and (4) cause marginally more snow-ice formation. CESM2 reveals that snow-free summers can occur ~30-60 years before an ice-free central Arctic, which may promote faster sea-ice melt.</p>

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