Habitat Sea ice matrix: chemical and physical properties Sea ice formation and physical properties. The vertical line represents the last data point plotted. 1). The different shades of gray over land indicate the land elevation with the lightest gray being the highest elevation. 2012b) and Antarctic sea ice (Hobbs et al. It is the nodal agency for coordinating and implementing India’s Antarctic program. Just a few years later, the 2017 and 2018 summer minimum were record low. The Antarctic is a continent surrounded by a vast ocean. Charctic, National Snow and Ice Data Center. Vanishing Ice is a powerful depiction of the dramatic transformation of the cryosphere—the world of ice and snow—and its consequences for the human world. Nat. (2002) and Parkinson and Cavalieri (2012). Ice shelves—thick slabs of floating ice attached to coastlines and usually fed by glaciers—fringe the frozen continent. Parkinson, C. L., D. J. Cavalieri, P. Gloersen, H. J. Zwally, and J. C. Comiso, 1999: Arctic sea ice extents, areas, and trends, 1978-1996, Journal of Geophysical Research, 104(C9), 20,837-20,856. Places in the Lower 48 states where the forecast for June 2021 favors a much colder than usual June (blue colors) or much warmer than usual June (red), or where the probability of a cold June, a warm June, or a near-normal June are all equal (white). As it does in the Arctic, the surface of the ocean around Antarctica freezes over in the winter and melts back each summer. On their way south towards the … Figure 4: Color-coded animation displaying the last 2 weeks of the daily sea ice concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere. (2019, March 12). Air temperatures at the 925 hPa level (about 2,500 feet above the surface) were up to 6 degrees Celsius (11 degrees … As this ice melts, darker patches of ocean start to emerge, eliminating the effect that previously cooled the poles, creating warmer air temperatures and in turn disrupting normal patterns of ocean circulation. In the past decade, the September winter maximum has been extremely variable, hitting record and near-record highs as well as near-record lows. Arctic sea ice — frozen ocean water — shrinks during the summer as it gets warmer, then forms again in the long winter. As it does in the Arctic, the surface of the ocean around Antarctica freezes over in the winter and melts back each summer. But sea ice retreat alone rarely, if ever, initiates the disintegration process; other factors such as warm ocean water and surface melt on the ice shelf are usually at work, too. Natural variability in the Southern Ocean and in atmospheric circulation patterns exert a much bigger influence on Antarctic sea ice extent than does climate change. Return to article here. Newton et al., Earth’s Future, 2021 For example, sea ice retreat in the Weddell Sea along the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula probably contributed to Larsen Ice Shelf losses. At the same time, a swell in Arctic storms and waves could also create yet another feedback loop, damaging current ice and impeding new growth as it agitates the ocean. This figure shows Arctic sea ice extent for the months of September and March of each year from 1979 through 2020. Figure 1 shows Antarctic sea ice extent from 1979, when routine monitoring by satellites started, to 2018. Arctic sea ice — frozen ocean water — shrinks during the summer as it gets warmer, then forms again in the long winter. It was previously known as the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR). Based on satellite data, extent is the total area where the ice concentration is 15 percent or higher. Figures 3 and 4 provide plots of the trends in the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice extents, along with monthly deviations and 12-month running means. The sea ice data presented here were derived from satellite passive-microwave radiometers, specifically, the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) on NASAâs Nimbus 7 satellite, for November 1978-August 1987, a sequence of Special Sensor Microwave Imagers (SSMIs) on the F8, F11, and F13 satellites of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), for August 1987-December 2007, and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) on the DMSP F17 satellite for January 2008-December 2012. Overall, the long-term trend in Antarctic sea ice is nearly flat. Antarctic sea ice usually reaches its annual maximum extent in mid- to late September, and reaches its annual minimum in late February or early March. The sea ice cover is one of the key components of the polar climate system. Jaiser, R. et al. The primary difference between the Arctic and Antarctica is geographical. Ice thickening due to the rafting of floes under wave action is less, although large pressure ridges are common. This indicator tracks the extent, age, and melt season of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean, and sea ice . Antarctic sea ice usually reaches its annual maximum extent in mid- to late September, and reaches its annual minimum in late February or early March. In ice-covered regions of the central Arctic Ocean, polar cod is a central predator of primary consumers. "On any given day, sea ice cover in the oceans of the polar regions is about the size of the U.S.," said Thorsten Markus, co-author of the paper and a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Transcript. “The oceans are acting to enhance warming in the Arctic while damping warming around Antarctica,” Armour said. (1999) and Cavalieri and Parkinson (2012), and results for the Antarctic can be found in Zwally et al. The overall trend is nearly flat. Extents for March and early April 2020 were near the long-term average. Based on the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Air-Sea-Ice Interaction held September 28-October 10, 1981 in Acquafredda di maratea, Italy. Following Figure 4 there are links to plots of the monthly ice extents, monthly ice extent deviations, yearly ice extents, and seasonal ice extents for the Northern Hemisphere and each of the nine Northern Hemisphere regions identified in Figure 1, and for the Southern Hemisphere and each of the five Southern Hemisphere regions identified in Figure 2. The Arctic Ocean with the Last Ice Area located north of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex by Arctic sea-ice loss. There is growing evidence that the Arctic Ocean sea-ice cover is in a period of rapid transition (see Kerr, 1999). It has been a focus of attention in recent years, largely because of a strong decrease in the Arctic sea ice cover and modeling results that indicate that global warming could be amplified in the Arctic on account of ice-albedo feedback. The maps are polar stereographic projections with individual grid elements of approximately 25 km x 25 km; and the ice concentration data are also archived at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at http://nsidc.org. In 2014, the maximum extent (purple dashed line) was record high. As the Arctic warms, scientists say the polar vortex will become more unstable and likely to send Arctic air south. 2a). The extents in km2 for the current and for the years of minimum and maximum extents are provided below the image. Both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice extent are characterized by fairly large variations from year to year. Weather exerts a greater influence on the Arctic minimum, and the Antarctic maximum. The vertical line represents the last data point plotted. Photo courtesy NASA Earth Observatory. Short-term trends in the Southern Ocean, such as those observed, can readily occur from natural variability of the atmosphere, ocean and sea ice system. Today, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as anywhere on earth, and the sea ice there is declining by more than 10% every 10 years. Because so little Antarctic ice persists through the summer, the majority of Antarctica’s sea ice is only one winter old at most. One key difference is the larger range between austral winter maximum extent and summer minimum extent. Antarctica is colder than the Arctic, but it’s still losing ice. The upwelling brings up waters from the ocean’s depths which is usually cold. The latest scientific projections agree that summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean will be largely gone within a generation. Updated on 26 Feb. 2021. Antarctic krill provide a vital food source for whales, seals, ice fish, and penguins. By extrapolating the recent observations, we can predict an ice-free Arctic Ocean by the late 2030s (Screen and Williamson, 2017; Jahn, 2018), which is earlier than previously expected. In Science Under Attack, Dr. Alexander shows how science is being abused, sidelined or ignored, making it difficult or impossible for the public to form a reasoned opinion about important issues. In July of 2016, a team of NASA scientists succeeded in collecting data about summer melting ice in the Arctic during a first-of-its-kind operation. continental shelf. The years 2012, 2013, and 2014 brought record highs; 2017 and 2018 brought record lows. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center’s Sea Ice Index, as of early April 2020, Antarctic sea ice showed a slightly positive long-term trend in all months but November, which showed a slightly negative trend. Ice, the magic crystal -- A brief history of ice on planet Earth -- The modern cycle of ice ages -- The greenhouse effect -- Sea ice meltback begins -- The future of Arctic sea ice the death spiral -- The accelerating effects of Arctic ... State of the Cryosphere: Ice Shelves, National Snow and Ice Data Center. The extents in km2 for the current and for the years of minimum and maximum extents are provided below the image. Watching Arctic Ice Melt: Researchers photographed large ponds of meltwater sitting on the Arctic ice to track climate change. 5.. With an average winter temperature of minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the Arctic is balmy compared to the Antarctic, where winter temperatures in the interior have sunk to minus 136 degrees Fahrenheit, the world’s record for cold temperatures. The dashed vertical line indicates the date of the latest plotted and mapped data. Sea ice spreads over vast areas and has major impacts on the rest of the climate system, reflecting solar radiation and restricting ocean/atmosphere exchanges. Antarctic sea ice is distributed around the entire fringe of the continent—a much broader area than the Arctic—and it is exposed to a broader range of land, ocean, and atmospheric influences. The heavy snow burden can depress ice floes, and seawater can subsequently flood those floes. In the last decade, Antarctic sea ice has experienced both its highest and lowest extents in the satellite record. A newly completed 40-y record of satellite observations is used to quantify changes in Antarctic sea ice coverage since the late 1970s. The big difference is that the Arctic ice is floating while the Antarctic ice is sitting on land. Because so little Antarctic ice persists throughout the summer, Antarctic ice is relatively thin, often 1 meter or less on average. By contrast, the loss of reflective snow and ice in high northern latitudes surrounding the Arctic Basin represents a profound change from what was historically normal. In 2018, the Arctic Ocean experienced its second-worst sea … This results from the high reflectivity (albedo) of the sea ice compared to ice-free waters. Background. All libraries in universities and research establishments where these subjects are studied and taught will need multiple copies of this book on their shelves. truly multidisciplinary approach world leading authors and editors international ... Based on these results, the central Arctic Ocean was more or less ice free during summer and autumn (that is, between mid-June to mid-November) for … Shown below are up-to-date satellite observations of the sea ice covers of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, along with comparisons with the historical satellite record of more than 4 decades. Cavalieri, D. J., C. L. Parkinson, P. Gloersen, J. C. Comiso, and H. J. Zwally, 1999: Deriving long-term time series of sea ice cover from satellite passive-microwave multisensor data sets, Journal of Geophysical Research, 104(C7), 15,803-15,814. The Arctic is one of the most stark and beautiful places on Earth. Satellite monitoring since the 1970s has revealed a decline in the total areal extent of Arctic sea ice at a rate of about 3% per decade (Johannessen et al., 1995). In the end the 2021 Arctic Sea ice minimum was 20% below the 40 years mean. Arctic sea ice hits its minimum in September each year. Comprehensive, up-to-date account of polar climate change over the last one million years for researchers and advanced students in polar science. Peter Wadhams, professor emeritus of ocean physics at Cambridge University, is a sea ice specialist with 46 years of research on sea ice and ocean processes in the Arctic and Antarctic. The principal lectures from the series are compiled in Forging the Future of Space Science. Describes various aspects of the Arctic and Antarctica including the animals that live there, the people who have explored them, and the changes brought to these faraway regions by modern technology and the search for new energy sources. Northern Hemisphere TotalSeas of Okhotsk and JapanBering SeaHudson BayBaffinBay/Labrador SeaGulf of St. LawrenceGreenland SeaKara and Barents SeasArctic OceanCanadian Archipelago, Southern Hemisphere TotalWeddell SeaIndian OceanWestern Pacific OceanRoss SeaBellingshausen and Amundsen Seas. Details regarding the calculations can be found in Cavalieri et al. Land-sea configurations affect sea ice extents not only by limiting where ice can form, but also by introducing their own effects. Unlike the Arctic, where sea ice extent is declining in all areas in all seasons, Antarctic trends are less apparent. On average, about 40 percent of the Arctic Ocean’s winter ice cover remains at the summer minimum, whereas in the Southern Ocean only about 15 percent does. Shown below are up-to-date satellite observations of the sea ice covers of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, along with comparisons with the historical satellite record of more than 4 decades. The Ocean Portal Team. NOAA Climate.gov image, based on data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. This 2020 photo provided by Polar Bears International shows polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada during migration. The sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean has shown a long-term trend of decrease since 1979. On average, about 40 percent of the Arctic Ocean’s winter ice cover remains at the summer minimum, whereas in the Southern Ocean only about 15 percent does. Very seldom have I experienced so clearly defined the connection between the artist and what he sees, feels, and does with the work itself."--Robert Redford Arctic sea ice plays a crucial role in the Earth’s energy balance. Most of the Arctic Ocean is over 1000 m deep and is continuously covered with ice whose thickness varies between 1-10 m. About one third of the Arctic Ocean is shallow, i.e. The change in the annual minimum sea ice extent is particularly notable, with a yearly reduction equivalent to the area of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Cavalieri, D. J., C. L. Parkinson, N. DiGirolamo, and A. Ivanoff, Intersensor calibration between F13 SSMI and F17 SSMIS for global sea ice data records, IEEE Geosci. Starting in 2016, Antarctica sea ice extent was mostly below the 1981–2010 average. In more than 50 expeditions to both polar regions, he has worked from ice camps, icebreakers, and aircraft. Compared to the Arctic, Antarctic sea ice shows less variability in summer, and more variability in winter. Apr. The plots and color-coded maps are chosen to provide information about the current state of the sea ice cover and how the most current daily data available compare with the record lows and record highs for the same date during the satellite era. March and September Monthly Average Arctic Sea Ice Extent, 1979–2020. Vast expanses of pack ice cover deep ocean composing the planet's largest and least fragmented inhabited region. There … Since the Greenland shark must hunt for their next meal beneath the thick ice in North Atlantic and Arctic waters, their searches are often conducted in practically, complete darkness. Jack Williams. While record low sea ice is nothing new in the Arctic, this was a surprising turn of events for the Antarctic, the report said.
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