HR: 0800h
AN: C11B-0437    [Abstracts]
TI: SAR observations and modelling of dynamics and sea-ice export in the Southern West New Siberian polynya
AU: * Krumpen, T
EM: tkrumpen@awi.de
AF: Alfred-Wegener Institut, Bussestrasse 24, Bremerhaven, 27570,
AB: Polynya processes in the south-eastern Laptev Sea between January and June 2004 have been studied by means of satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery and a simple polynya ice flux model based on the Haarpaintner approach. The polynya model was forced by meteorological data recorded at a nearby weather station, and calibrated using satellite observations of the southern West New Siberian (WNS) polynya. The good correspondence between the modelled polynya evolution and SAR observations as well as between the calculated salinity increase of the water column and long-term salinity records suggests that the Haarpaintner model is a suitable tool to investigate dynamics and export rates of flaw polynyas. A total of 66 km³ of ice in both thin-ice and open-water zones was produced from January to June 2004 in the southern 195-km wide segment of the WNS polynya. Due to generally calm wind conditions in the Laptev region, the development of large open-water zones is restricted, and ice growth takes mainly place under the large areas of new thin-ice. Therefore, the resulting salt flux is not high enough to destabilize the generally strongly stratified water column, which supports observations by Dmitrenko et al. [2005]. To evaluate the importance of the observed ice and salt fluxes in the entire WSN polynya for the local circulation system and the interaction with the hydrography of the Arctic Ocean, coincident in-situ observations of ice and water properties should be performed. In particular, we will obtain continuous observations of water temperature and salinity and ice thickness by means of seafloor-moored instruments in the polynya region in coming years.
DE: 0752 Polynas (4540)
DE: 0758 Remote sensing
DE: 0762 Mass balance (1218, 1223)
DE: 0798 Modeling
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting