Beaufort Sea; multiyear ice; polynya; sea ice; trends; Geochemistry and Petrology; Geophysics; Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous); Space and Planetary Science; Oceanography
Abstract :
[en] The last decade has witnessed the nine lowest Arctic September sea ice extents in the observational record. It also forms the most recent third of the long-term trend in that record, which reached -13.4% decade-1 in 2015. While hemispheric analyses paint a compelling picture of sea ice loss across the Arctic, the situation with multiyear ice in the Beaufort Sea is particularly dire. This study was undertaken in light of substantial changes that have occurred in the extent of summer multiyear sea ice in the Arctic inferred from the passive microwave record. To better elucidate these changes at a sub-regional scale, we use data from the Canadian Ice Service archive, the most direct observations of sea ice stage-of-development available. We also build upon the only previous sea ice climatological analysis for Canada's western Arctic region by sea ice stage-of-development that ended in 2004. The annual evolution of sea ice by stage of development in Canada's western Arctic changed dramatically between 1983 and 2014. The rate of these changes and their spatial prevalence were most prominent in the last decade. In summer, total sea ice loss occurred via reductions in old and first-year sea ice over increasingly large areas and over more months per year. Resultant delay of thermodynamic freeze up has increased the annual open water duration in the study region. The winter sea ice cover was increasingly composed of first-year sea ice at the expense of old ice. Breakup timing has not significantly changed in the region.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Galley, R.J.; Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Babb, D.; Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Ogi, M.; Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Else, B.G.T.; Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
Geilfus, N.-X.; Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Crabeck, Odile ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) ; Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Barber, D.G.; Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Rysgaard, S.; Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada ; Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Language :
English
Title :
Replacement of multiyear sea ice and changes in the open water season duration in the Beaufort Sea since 2004
NSERC - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Funding text :
Thanks to the Canadian Ice Service for providing the digitally archived chart data online. These unrestricted data are available at: http://iceweb1.cis.ec. gc.ca/Archive/page1.xhtml; jsessionid5 F7AF5BF1DA6865E C213D8E224F48FB97? lang5en. The Canada Excellence Research Chair program (SR), the Canada Research Chair program (DGB), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RJG) contributed funding to this study. This work is a contribution to the Arctic Science Partnership (asp-net.org) and the ArcticNet Networks of Centres of Excellence program.
Agnew, T. A., and, S. Howell, (2003), The use of operational ice charts for evaluating passive microwave ice concentration data, Atmos. Ocean, 41 (4), 317-331, doi: 10.3137/ao.410405.
Arrigo, K., and, G. van Dijken, (2004), Annual cycles of sea ice and phytoplankton in Cape Bathurst polynya, southeastern Beaufort Sea, Canadian Arctic, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L08304, doi: 10.1029/2003GL018978.
Babb, D., R. J. Galley, D. G. Barber, and, S. Rysgaard, (2016), Physical processes contributing to an ice free Beaufort Sea during September 2012, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 121, 267-283, doi: 10.1002/2015JC010756.
Barber, D. G., and, J. M. Hanesiak, (2004), Meteorological forcing of sea ice concentrations in the southern Beaufort Sea over the period 1979 to 2000, J. Geophys. Res., 109, C06014, doi: 10.1029/2003JC002027.
Barber, D. G., and, R. A. Massom, (2007), The role of sea ice in Arctic and Antarctic polynyas, in Polynyas: Windows to the World, edited by, W. O Smith, and, D. G. Barber, Elsevier Oceanogr. Ser., 74, 1-54, doi: 10.1016/S0422-9894(06)74002-8.
Carmack, E. C., and, R. W. Macdonald, (2002), Oceanography of the Canadian Shelf of the Beaufort Sea: A setting for marine life, Arctic, 55, suppl. 1, 29-45.
Cavalieri, D. J., C. L. Parkinson, P. Gloersen, and, H. Zwally, (1996), Sea Ice Concentrations From Nimbus-7 SMMr and SMSP SSM/I-SSMIS Passive Microwave Data, NASA Natl. Snow and Ice Data Cent. Distrib. Active Arch. Cent., Boulder, Colo., doi: 10.5067/8GQ8LZQVLOVL.
CIS (2007), Canadian Ice Service Digital Archive - Regional Charts: Canadian Ice Service ice regime regions (CISIRR) and sub-regions with associated data quality indices, CIS Arch. Doc. Ser., 3, pp. 1-63. [Available at http://ice.ec.gc.ca/IA-DOC/cisads-no-003-e.pdf.]
Comiso, J. C., (2012), Large decadal decline of the Arctic multiyear ice cover, J. Clim., 25, 176-1193, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00113.1.
Deser, C., and, H. Teng, (2008), Evolution of Arctic sea ice concentration trend and the role of atmospheric circulation forcing, 1979-2007, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L02504, doi: 10.1029/2007GL032023.
Else, B. G. T., T. Papakyriakou, R. J. Galley, A. Mucci, M. Gosselin, L. Miller, E. Shadwick, and, H. Thomas, (2012), Annual cycles of pCO2sw in the Southeastern Beaufort Sea: New understandings of air-sea CO2 exchange in Arctic polynya regions, J. Geophys. Res., 117, C00G13, doi: 10.1029/2011JC007346.
Fequet, D., (Ed.) (2005), Manual of Standard Procedures for Observing and Reporting Ice Conditions, 9th ed., Can. Ice Serv., Environ. Canada, Ottawa.
Fetterer, F., K. Knowles, W. Meier, and, M. Savoie, (2002), Sea Ice Index, Version 1, Natl. Snow and Ice Data Cent., Boulder, Colo., doi: 10.7265/N5QJ7F7W.
Galley, R. J., E. Key, D. G. Barber, B. J. Hwang, and, J. K. Ehn, (2008), Spatial and temporal variability of sea ice in the southern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf: 1980-2004, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C05S95, doi: 10.1029/2007JC004553.
Galley, R. J., B. G. T. Else, S. E. L. Howell, J. V. Lukovich, and, D. G. Barber, (2012), Landfast sea ice conditions in the Canadian Arctic, Arctic, 65 (2), 133-144.
Galley, R. J., B. G. T. Else, S. J. Prinsenberg, D. Babb, and, D. G. Barber, (2013), Summer sea ice concentration, motion and thickness near areas of proposed offshore oil and gas development in the Canadian Beaufort Sea-2009, Arctic, 66 (1), 105-116.
Haas, C., (2004), Late-summer sea ice thickness variability in the Arctic Transpolar Drift 1991-2001 derived from ground-basedelectromagnetic sounding, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L09402, doi: 10.1029/2003GL019394.
Haas, C., S. Hendricks, H. Eicken, and, A. Herber, (2010), Synoptic airborne thickness surveys reveal state of Arctic sea ice cover, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L09501, doi: 10.1029/2010GL042652.
Hammill, M. O., (1987), The effects of weather on ice conditions in the Amundsen Gulf, N.W.T., Rep. 1900, 10 pp., Dep. of Fish. and Oceans Can., Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.
Hansen, E., S. Gerland, M. A. Granskog, O. Pavlova, A. H. H. Renner, J. Haapala, T. B. Løyning, and, M. Tschudi, (2013), Thinning of Arctic sea ice observed in Fram Strait: 1990-2011, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 118, 1 -20, doi: 10.1002/jgrc.20393.
Hutchings, J. K., and, I. G. Rigor, (2012), Role of ice dynamics in anomalous ice conditions in the Beaufort Sea in 2006, and 2007, J. Geophys. Res., 117, C00E04, doi: 10.1029/2011JC007182.
Kwok, R., and, G. F. Cunningham, (2010), Contribution of melt in the Beaufort Sea to the decline in Arctic multiyear sea ice coverage: 1993-2009, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L20501, doi: 10.1029/2010GL044678.
Kwok, R., and, D. A. Rothrock, (2009), Decline in Arctic sea ice thickness from submarine and ICESat records: 1958-2008, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L15501, doi: 10.1029/2009GL039035.
Kwok, R., G. F. Cunningham, M. Wensnahan, I. Rigor, H. J. Zwally, and, D. Yi, (2009), Thinning and volume loss of the Arctic sea ice cover: 2003-2008, J. Geophys. Res., 114, C07005, doi: 10.1029/2009JC005312.
Maslanik, J., J. Stroeve, C. Fowler, and, W. Emery, (2011), Distribution and trends in Arctic sea ice age through spring 2011, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L13502, doi: 10.1029/2011GL047735.
Maslanik, J. A., C. Fowler, J. Stroeve, S. Drobot, J. Zwally, D. Yi, and, W. Emery, (2007), A younger, thinner Arctic ice cover: Increased potential for rapid extensive sea-ice loss, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L24501, doi: 10.1029/2007GL032043.
Moore, D. S., (1995), The basic practise of statistics, W. H. Freeman and Company, N. Y.
National Ice Center (2009), National Ice Center Arctic Sea Ice Charts and Climatologies in Gridded Format, Version 1, compiled by, F. Fetterer, and, C. Fowler, Natl. Snow and Ice Data Cent., Boulder, Colo., doi: 10.7265/N5X34VDB.
Ngheim, S. V., Y. Chao, G. Neumann, P. Li, D. K. Perovich, T. Street, and, P. Clemente-Colòn, (2006), Depletion of perennial sea ice in the East Arctic Ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L17501, doi: 10.1029/2006GL027198.
Ogi, M., and, I. Rigor, (2013), Trends in Arctic sea ice and the role of atmospheric circulation, Atmos. Sci. Lett., 14, 97-101, doi: 10.1002/asl2.423.
Ogi, M., and, J. M. Wallace, (2012), The role of summer surface wind anomalies in the summer Arctic sea ice extent in 2010 and 2011, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L09704, doi: 10.1029/2012GL051330.
Ogi, M., and, K. Yamazaki, (2010), Trends in the summer Northern Annular Mode and Arctic sea ice, SOLA, 6, 041-044, doi: 10.2151/sola.2010-011.
Parkinson, C. L., (2014), Spatially mapped reductions in the length of the Arctic sea ice season, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 4316-4322, doi: 10.1002/2014GL060434.
Perovich, D. K., J. A. Richter-Menge, K. F. Jones, and, B. Light, (2008), Sunlight, water and ice: Extreme Arctic sea ice melt during the summer of 2007, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L11501, doi: 10.1029/2008GL034007.
Perovich, D. K., J. A. Richter-Menge, K. F. Jones, B. Light, B. C. Elder, C. Polashenski, D. Laroche, T. Markus, and, R. Lindsay, (2011), Arctic sea-ice melt in 2008 and the role of solar heating, Ann. Glaciol., 52 (57), 355-359.
Steele, M., S. Dickinson, J. Zhang, and, R. W. Lindsay, (2015), Seasonal ice loss in the Beaufort Sea: Toward synchrony and prediction, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 120, 1118-1132, doi: 10.1002/2014JC010247.
Stroeve, J., M. Serreze, S. Drobot, S. Gearhead, M. Holland, J. Maslanik, W. Meier, and, T. Scambos, (2008), Arctic sea ice extent plummets in 2007, Eos Trans. AGU, 89 (2), 13, doi: 10.1029/2008EO020001.
Stroeve, J. C., T. Markus, L. Boisvert, J. Miller, and, A. Barrett, (2014), Changes in Arctic melt season and implications for sea ice loss, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 1216-1225, doi: 10.1002/2013GL058951.
Tivy, A., S. E. L. Howell, B. Alt, S. McCourt, R. Chagnon, G. Crocker, T. Carrieres, and, J. J. Yackel, (2011), Trends and variability in summer sea ice cover in the Canadian Arctic based on the Canadian Ice Service digital archive, 1960-2008 and 1968-2008, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C03007, doi: 10.1029/2009JC005855.
Tschudi, M., C. Fowler, and, J. Maslanik, (2015), EASE-Grid Sea Ice Age, Version 2, NASA Natl. Snow and Ice Data Cent. Distrib. Active Arch. Cent., Boulder, Colo., doi: 10.5067/1UQJWCYPVX61.
Zhang, J., R. Lindsay, A. Schweiger, and, I. Rigor, (2012), Recent changes in the dynamic properties of declining sea ice: A model study, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L20503, doi: 10.1029/2012GL053545.
