Publication Date:
2015-11-20
Description:
The annual cycle of modal and mean sea ice thickness was derived from upward looking sonar ice thickness observations (1990-2011) in Fram Strait. The average annual peak-to-trough amplitude of the mode of 0.54 m is superimposed on interannual variability with peak-to-trough amplitudes of 0.73 m on timescales of 6-8 years, which again is superimposed on a long-term trend of -0.55 m/decade over the observation period. The long-term trend is stronger for April than for August, the average months of maximum and minimum modal thickness. As a result, the annual peak-to-trough modal thickness amplitude was reduced by 30% between the 1990s and the 2000s. The average annual peak-to-trough amplitude of the mean ice thickness of 1.20 m is also superimposed on interannual variability, with as much as 0.97 m thickness change over only 3 years. These two modes of variability are superimposed on a long-term trend of -0.35 m/decade through the entire data set. In contrast to the modal thickness, the long-term trend is weaker for the average month of maximum mean thickness (June), than for the average month of minimum (September). Therefore, the annual peak-to-trough amplitude of the mean ice thickness increased by 14% between the 1990s and the 2000s. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Print ISSN:
0148-0227
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
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