Calculation of melt pond albedos on arctic sea ice

An analytical approximation of spectral albedo is derived for a melt pond with a Lambertian bottom assuming that Rayleigh scattering in the water is small compared to absorption. A Monte Carlo method is used to verify that scattering can he ignored in the water. This enables us to calculate pond albedos in the 400–700 nm wavelength hand using the analytical approximation. Model calculations and observations indicate that a step-decrease in albedo is likely t o occur when a melt pond initially forms, and melt pond albedos in the visible depend more on the structural and optical properties of the bottom than on the depth of the pond.     

2014年夏季北极东北航道冰情分析

使用2003—2014年6—9月份的AMSR-E和AMSR-2海冰密集度数据计算了北极海冰范围, 并获得海冰空间分布图。通过分析得出, 2014年北极夏季海冰范围在数值上与2003—2013年的多年平均值很接近, 在空间分布上与多年中值范围相比主要表现为两个方面的不同：(1)2014年夏季拉普捷夫海及其以北海域海冰明显少于多年中值范围, 9月份冰区最北边界超过了85°N;(2)巴伦支海北部斯瓦尔巴群岛至法兰士约瑟夫地群岛区域海冰范围明显多于多年中值范围, 而且海冰范围在8月份不减反增, 冰区边界较7月份往南扩张了约0.8个纬度。2014年夏季在拉普捷夫海以南风为主, 而在巴伦支海以北风为主。南风将俄罗斯大陆上温暖的空气吹向高纬地区, 造成高纬地区温度偏高, 促进拉普捷夫海海冰融化, 并使海冰往北退缩。北风将北冰洋上的冷空气吹向低纬地区, 造成巴伦支海的气温偏低, 不利于海冰的融化, 同时北风使海冰往南漂移扩散, 造成巴伦支海北部海冰范围在2014年偏多。2014年北地群岛航线开通时间范围大约在8月上旬到10月上旬, 时长约两个月。新西伯利亚群岛及附近海域的开通时间稍早于北地群岛, 但关闭时间比北地群岛晚, 所以 2014年东北航道全线开通的时间主要受制于北地群岛附近海冰变化。     

2005年北极冰川首期GPS监测

2005年7月至8月,中国北极黄河站第二次科学考察期间,科考队员针对黄河站附近首次队踏勘选定的两条典型冰川(AustreLov啨nbreen和Pedersenbreen),开展了以监测冰川物质平衡和冰川运动为主要内容的研究课题。本文分析了利用差分GPS进行北极冰川运动监测的可行性和优越性;初步处理了首期GPS监测的数据,并进行了精度分析,得出了较为满意的结果;针对北极冰川特殊的地理环境,探讨了在北极冰川上进行GPS测量应该注意的问题。     

Measurements of physical characteristics of summer snow cover on sea ice during the Third Chinese Arctic Expedition

The spatial distribution of snow cover on the central Arctic sea ice is investigated here based on the observations made during the Third Chinese Arctic Expedition. Six types of snow were observed during the expedition: new/recent snow, melt-freeze crust, icy layer, depth hoar, coarse-grained, and chains of depth hoar. Across most measurement areas, the snow surface was covered by a melt-freeze crust 2-3 cm thick, which was produced by alternate strong solar radiation and the sharp temperature decrease over the summer Arctic Ocean. There was an intermittent layer of snow and ice at the base of the snow pack. The mean bulk density of the snow was 304.01±29.00 kg/m3 along the expedition line, and the surface values were generally smaller than those of the subsurface, confirming the principle of snow densification. In addition, the thicknesses and water equivalents of the new/recent and total-layer snow showed a decreasing trend with latitude, suggesting that the amount of snow cover and its spatial variations were mainly determined by precipitation. Snow temperature also presented significant variations in the vertical profile, and ablation and evaporation were not the primary factors in the snow assessment in late summer. The mean temperature of the surface snow was 2.01±0.96°C, which was much higher than that observed in theinterface of snow and sea ice.     

The research of Polar sea ice and its role in climate change

As an important part of global climate system,the Polar sea ice is ef fecting on global climate changes through ocean surface radiation balance,mass balance,energy balance as well as the circulating of sea water temperature and salinity.Sea ice research has a centuries-old history.The many correlative sea ice projects were established through the extensive international cooperation d uring the period from the primary research of intensity and the bearing capacity of sea ice to the development of sea/ice/air coupled model.Based on these rese arches,the sea ice variety was combined with the global climate change.All res earch about sea ice includes:the physical properties and processes of sea ice a nd its snow cover,the ecosystem of sea ice regions,sea ice and upper snow albe do,mass balance of sea ice regions,sea ice and climate coupled model.The simu lation suggests that the both of the area and volume of polar sea ice would be r educed in next century.With the developing of the sea ice research,more scient ific issues are mentioned.Such as the interaction between sea ice and the other factors of global climate system,the seasonal and regional distribution of pol ar sea ice thickness,polar sea ice boundary and area variety trends,the growth and melt as well as their influencing factors,the role of the polynya and the sea/air interactions.We should give the best solutions to all of the issues in future sea ice studying.     

The in the Guliya shallow ice core during the prevailing summer monsoons and sea-air interactions

The correlations of the δ18Omax in the shallow ice core from the Guliya ice cap on the Tibetan Plateau with the global sea surface temperatures (SST) and height at the 500 hPa over the Northern Hemisphere were analyzed. The correlated regions on oceans that have a significant influence on the δ18Omax in the Guliya ice core are all located in ocean currents, or convergent regions of currents. They are the eastern Equatorial Pacific, the Northern Pacific Current, the Hot Pool in the eastern Indian Ocean, the Mozambique Current, the Northern Atlantic Current, the Canary Current and the Atlantic Equatorial Current. The δ18Omax in the Guliya ice core has negative correlations with the SST located in the lower latitudes, and positive correlations with the SST in the middle latitudes. The correlated areas at the 500 hPa that have a great impact on the δ8Omax are located in the subtropical highs over the mid-low-latitude oceans and the long-wave trough area over Balkhash Lake, where there are marked negative correlations between the heights in those areas and the δ18Omax. The influencing mechanism is displayed by the diversity of the vapor origins transported to the Guliya region. The strengths of the European ridge and the ridge over Baikal Lake have notable positive correlations with the 8180max. The two systems indirectly influence the vapor transportation towards the Guliya region by the adjustment of long-wave trough and ridge.     

The role of declining Arctic sea ice in recent decreasing terrestrial Arctic snow depths

The dramatic decline in Arctic sea ice cover is anticipated to influence atmospheric temperatures and circulation patterns. These changes will affect the terrestrial climate beyond the boundary of the Arctic, consequently modulating terrestrial snow cover. Therefore, an improved understanding of the relationship between Arctic sea ice and snow depth over the terrestrial Arctic is warranted. We examined responses of snow depth to the declining Arctic sea ice extent in September, during the period of 1979–2006. The major reason for a focus on snow depth, rather than snow cover, is because its variability has a climatic memory that impacts hydrothermal processes during the following summer season. Analyses of combined data sets of satellite measurements of sea ice extent and snow depth, simulated by a land surface model (CHANGE), suggested that an anomalously larger snow depth over northeastern Siberia during autumn and winter was significantly correlated to the declining September Arctic sea ice extent, which has resulted in cooling temperatures, along with an increase in precipitation. Meanwhile, the reduction of Arctic sea ice has amplified warming temperatures in North America, which has readily offset the input of precipitation to snow cover, consequently further decreasing snow depth. However, a part of the Canadian Arctic recorded an increase in snow depth driven locally by the diminishing September Arctic sea ice extent. Decreasing snow depth at the hemispheric scale, outside the northernmost regions (i.e., northeastern Siberia and Canadian Arctic), indicated that Arctic amplification related to the diminishing Arctic sea ice has already impacted the terrestrial Arctic snow depth. The strong reduction in Arctic sea ice anticipated in the future also suggests a potential long-range impact on Arctic snow cover. Moreover, the snow depth during the early snow season tends to contribute to the warming of soil temperatures in the following summer, at least in the northernmost regions.     

Characteristics of change in the Antarctic sea ice area and its relation to SST in the tropical Pacific

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夏季南极固定冰单轴压缩强度及试样破碎规律研究

2012年11月—2013年4月中国第29次南极科学考察期间,针对南极夏季固定冰单轴压缩性质开展了研究。使用冰芯钻直接在平整冰层钻取力学试样,取样冰厚为149 cm,其中颗粒冰、柱状冰和片状冰分别占采样冰芯总长度的15.4%、72.5%和12.1%;单轴压缩试样只采用柱状冰部分,加工好的力学冰样尺寸为直径9 cm,长度为18 cm;共设置5个试验温度(-2、-4、-6、-8和-10℃),加载应变速率在10-6—10-2s-1。利用统计方法分析试验结果,建立了南极夏季海冰单轴压缩强度与孔隙率和应变速率的关系式,以及综合考虑应变速率和温度影响下的单轴压缩强度定量表达式;同时,基于分形理论对单轴压缩试样破碎块分布规律进行了分析,结果显示碎块长度分形维数随着温度和应变速率的降低有增大趋势。在特别低应变速率下海冰试样整体发生蠕变时,无法采用分形方法讨论海冰内部破碎程度。     

京津冀夏季强降水下冰云宏微观特征

根据Aqua MODIS 2级云产品和Cloudsat的2级产品资料,结合降水数据和MODIS L1B级辐射率数据,对发生在京津冀地区夏季的三次强降水过程中冰云的宏微观物理量的特征进行分析,并探究这些物理量和降水强度的关系。结果表明：在水平分布中,强降水过程中降水强度高值区内云相为冰云,冰云云顶高度在8~17 km,冰云粒子有效半径、冰云光学厚度、冰水路径分别最高可达60 μm、 150、 5 000 g?m^-2;冰云光学厚度、冰水路径、冰云云顶高度随降水强度增大而增大。在垂直分布中,冰云主要分布在3.5 km以上,发生强降水站点的冰云为深对流云,冰云粒子有效半径、冰水含量、冰云粒子数浓度分别最高可达150 μm、 3 000 mg?m^-3 、 500 L^-1;冰云粒子有效半径高值区存在于云层中下部,且随高度上升而减小,冰云粒子数浓度高值区存在于云层中上部,且随高度上升而增加,冰水含量高值区则存在于云层中部;冰云粒子有效半径、冰水含量、冰云粒子数浓度在9 km以上随降水强度增大而增大。     

The δ18O in the Guliya shallow ice core during the prevailing summer monsoons and sea-air interactions

The correlations of the δ¹⁸O_max in the shallow ice core from the Guliya ice cap on the Tibetan Plateau with the global sea surface temperatures (SST) and height at the 500 hPa over the Northern Hemisphere were analyzed. The correlated regions on oceans that have a significant influence on the δ¹⁸O_max in the Guliya ice core are all located in ocean currents, or convergent regions of currents. They are the eastern Equatorial Pacific, the Northern Pacific Current, the Hot Pool in the eastern Indian Ocean, the Mozambique Current, the Northern Atlantic Current, the Canary Current and the Atlantic Equatorial Current. The δ¹⁸O_max in the Guliya ice core has negative correlations with the SST located in the lower latitudes, and positive correlations with the SST in the middle latitudes. The correlated areas at the 500 hPa that have a great impact on the δ¹⁸O_max are located in the subtropical highs over the mid-low-latitude oceans and the long-wave trough area over Balkhash Lake, where there are marked negative correlations between the heights in those areas and the δ¹⁸O_max. The influencing mechanism is displayed by the diversity of the vapor origins transported to the Guliya region. The strengths of the European ridge and the ridge over Baikal Lake have notable positive correlations with the δ¹⁸O_max. The two systems indirectly influence the vapor transportation towards the Guliya region by the adjustment of long-wave trough and ridge.     

Effects of sea ice on breeding numbers and clutch size of a high arctic population of the common eider Somateria mollissima

The breeding performance of high-arctic bird populations shows large inter-annual variation that may be attributed to environmental variability, such as the timing of snow melt and break-up of the landfast sea ice that surrounds breeding colonies on islands and along coasts. In the Kongsfjorden area (79°N) on Svalbard, the number of breeding pairs and the average egg clutch size vary considerably among years. In this study, data on breeding performance are presented from 15 years in the period 1981–2000. The results showed that early break-up of sea ice in Kongsfjorden resulted in larger numbers of nests and larger average clutch sizes than late break-up. Also, individual islands with early break-up of sea ice in a particular year had more nests and larger clutch sizes compared to other islands surrounded by sea ice during a longer period in spring. Thus, the inter-annual variation in the break-up of sea ice in the fjord has considerable implications for the inter-annual variability of recruitment to the population. The results indicate that the effects of global warming on changes in the sea ice melting regime in coastal regions are important for the reproductive output of island-nesting eiders.     

The δ18O in the Guliya shallow ice core during the prevailing summer monsoons and sea-air interactions

The correlations of the δ18Omax in the shallow ice core from the Guliya ice cap on the Tibetan Plateau with the global sea surface temperatures (SST) and height at the 500 hPa over the Northern Hemisphere were analyzed. The correlated regions on oceans that have a significant influence on the δ18Omax in the Guliya ice core are all located in ocean currents, or convergent regions of currents. They are the eastern Equatorial Pacific, the Northern Pacific Current, the Hot Pool in the eastern Indian Ocean, the Mozambique Current, the Northern Atlantic Current, the Canary Current and the Atlantic Equatorial Current. The δ18Omax in the Guliya ice core has negative correlations with the SST located in the lower latitudes, and positive correlations with the SST in the middle latitudes. The correlated areas at the 500 hPa that have a great impact on the δ18Omax are located in the subtropical highs over the mid-low-latitude oceans and the long-wave trough area over Balkhash Lake, where there are marked negative correlations between the heights in those areas and the δ18Omax. The influencing mechanism is displayed by the diversity of the vapor origins transported to the Guliya region. The strengths of the European ridge and the ridge over Baikal Lake have notable positive correlations with the δ18Omax. The two systems indirectly influence the vapor transportation towards the Guliya region by the adjustment of long-wave trough and ridge.     

Microbial communities from the sea ice and adjacent water column at the time of ice melting in the northwestern part of the Weddell Sea

Microbial composition-including microalgae, bacteria and protozoans- and potential metabolic activity of its autotrophic compartment were measured in December 1988 in several micro-environments that characterise the North-West Sector of the marginal area of the Weddell Sea; infiltration and band assemblages of ice floes and adjacent waters were investigated. At the time of ice melting, a shift from a diatom dominated population (ice) to a flagellate dominated population (water column) was observed. Nevertheless, this shift was not due to an "inability" of the ice-diatoms to grow in the water colum. Macro-grazing and/or sedimentation are suggested as possible causes of the disappearance of diatoms during ice melting. The remaining small autotrophic forms released by the ice would constitute a significant seeding stock for the growth of ice-edge blooms.     

The structure and behavior of the arctic cyclone in summer analyzed by the JRA-25/JCDAS data

In this study, three-dimensional structures and the life-time behavior of arctic cyclones are investigated as case studies, using reanalysis data of JRA-25 and JCDAS. In recent years, arctic region has undergone drastic warming in conjunction with the reduced sea ice concentration in summer. The rapid reduction of the sea ice concentration is explained, to some extent, by a pressure dipole of the arctic cyclone and Beaufort high over the Arctic Ocean. This paper presents some case studies for the structure of the arctic cyclone.It is found by the analysis of this study that the arctic cyclone indicates many differences in structure and behavior compared with the mid-latitude cyclone. The arctic cyclones move rather randomly in direction over the Arctic Ocean. The arctic cyclone has a barotropic structure in the vertical from the surface to the stratosphere. The arctic cyclone detected at the sea level pressure is connected with the polar vortex at the 500 hPa level and above. Importantly, the arctic cyclone has a cold core in the troposphere and a warm core around the 200 hPa level. The mechanism of the formation is discussed based on the analyzed structure of the arctic cyclones.     

Summer sea ice characteristics of the Chukchi Sea

During August 1999, we investigated sea ice characteristics; its distribution, surface feature, thickness, ice floe movement, and the temperature field around inter-borders of air/ice/seawater in the Chukchi Sea. Thirteen ice cores were drilled at 11 floe stations in the area of 72°24′ 77°18′N, 153°34′ 163°28′W and the ice core structure was observed. From field observation, three melting processes of ice were observed; surface layer melting, surface and bottom layers melting, and all of ice melting. The observation of temperature fields around sea ice floes showed that the bottom melting under the ice floes were important process. As ice floes and open water areas were alternately distributed in summer Arctic Ocean; the water under ice was colder than the open water by 0.4 2.8℃. The sun radiation heated seawater in open sea areas so that the warmer water went to the bottom when the ice floes move to those areas. This causes ice melting to start at the bottom of the ice floes. This process can balance effectively the temperature fluctuating in the sea in summer. From the crystalline structure of sea ice observed from the cores, it was concluded that the ice was composed of ice crystals and brine-ice films. During the sea ice melting, the brine-ice films between ice crystals melted firstly; then the ice crystals were encircled by brine films; the sea ice became the mixture of ice and liquid brine. At the end of melting, the ice crystals would be separated each other, the bond between ice crystals weakens and this leads to the collapse of the ice sheet.     

2002—2011年南极海冰变化的遥感分析

基于2002—2011年南极地区AMSR-E逐日海冰密集度数据, 计算相应时间段内的海冰外缘线和海冰面积, 分析了南极地区这10年来各时间尺度上的海冰变化, 揭示了海冰变化的时空特征。结果表明: 2002— 2011年南极海冰外缘线、海冰面积分别增加了3.64%、3.8%, 总体上呈现增加的趋势, 其中2008年海冰面积最大。罗斯海、西太平洋和威德尔海的海冰面积呈现增加趋势, 而印度洋和别林斯高晋海/阿蒙森海的海冰面积则趋于减小。南极海冰面积一般夏季最小、冬季最大, 相同季节海冰面积变化波动较小, 不同海区只是变化范围不同。南极一年冰增长速度较低, 平均每年增加约0.1×106 km2, 且大范围地分布在南极大陆(除威德尔海外)周围。多年冰平均每年减少0.05×106 km2, 且多处于威德尔海。海冰面积变化与气温有负相关关系。     

南大洋及相邻温带海域夏季小型浮游动物的摄食作用

小型浮游动物在海洋食物网中扮演着重要的角色。2012年12月—2013年3月,利用稀释培养方法开展了南大洋及温带海域小型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食实验研究。结果表明,浮游植物的生长率为0.04—0.89 d~(–1),小型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食率为0.07—1.29 d~(–1)。浮游动物日摄食量占浮游植物现存量的6.4%—72.5%,对浮游植物初级生产力的摄食压力也较大,为14%—776.9%。尽管本实验中浮游动物的摄食率可能被高估,但在南大洋及温带海域生态系统中,小型浮游动物对浮游植物仍具有重要的调控作用。     

Upper-ocean hydrodynamics along meridional sections in the southwest Indian sector of the Southern Ocean during austral summer 2007

This paper addresses analysis of surface meteorological and hydrographic data collected along the transects Durban–India Bay, Antarctica (Track-1) and Prydz Bay–Mauritius (Track-2) during February–March 2007 as part of the International Polar Year project (IPY#70). Strong winds (>12 m s⁻¹) resulted in enhanced turbulent heat loss north of 45°S. Whereas a highly stable marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) and strong winds facilitated the release of latent heat of condensation along Track-1, a highly unstable MABL and strong winds resulted in large turbulent heat loss from the sea surface along Track-2, in the 40–45°S belt. The northern and southern branches of Subantarctic Front on both tracks coalesce, while the Agulhas Retroflection Front (AF) and South Subtropical Front (SSTF) merge between 43° and 44°S on Track-2. The southern branch of the Polar Front (PF2) meanders 550 km southward towards the east. The Subtropical Surface Water, Central Water, and Mode Water are located north of 43.5°S, while the Subantarctic Surface Water, Antarctic Surface Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water, and Circumpolar Deep Water are encountered in the region of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Baroclinic transport relative to 1000 db reveals that the ACC is enhanced by 10 × 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹ eastward, and a four-fold increase in transport occurs south of the ACC. Nearly 50% of the ACC transport occurs in the 100–500 m slab. We discuss the effects of the feedback of AC and hydrological fronts on the MABL.     

Photosynthetic characteristics of sinking microalgae under the sea ice

The photosynthetic characteristics of sinking a microalgal community were studied to compare with the ice algal community in the sea ice and the phytoplankton community in the water column under the sea ice at the beginning of the light season in the first-year sea ice ecosystem on the Mackenzie Shelf, in the western Canadian Arctic. The phytoplankton community was collected using a water bottle, whereas the sinking algal community was collected using particle collectors, and the ice algal community was obtained by using an ice-core sampler from the bottom portion of ice core. Photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-E) incubation experiments were conducted on deck to obtain the initial slope (α^B) and the maximum photosynthetic rate (P_m^B) of the three algal communities. The α^B and the P_m^B of the light saturation curve, and chlorophyll a (Chl a) specific absorption coefficient (ā_ph*) between the sinking microalgal community and the ice algal community were similar and were distinctly different from the phytoplankton community. The significant linear relationship between α^B and P_m^B, which was obtained among the three groups, may suggest that a photo-acclimation strategy is common for all algal communities under the low light regime of the early season. Although the sinking algal community could be held for the entire duration of deployment at maximum, this community remained photosynthetically active once exposed to light. This response suggests that sinking algal communities can be the seed population, which results in a subsequent phytoplankton bloom under the sea ice or in a surface layer, as well as representing food for the higher trophic level consumers in the Arctic Ocean even before the receding of the sea ice.