Arctic Sea Ice Drift Measured by Shipboard Marine Radar

B. Lund, Hans C Graber, P. O.G. Persson, M. Smith, M. Doble, J. Thomson, P. Wadhams

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study presents Arctic sea ice drift fields measured by shipboard marine X-band radar (MR). The measurements are based on the maximum cross correlation between two sequential MR backscatter images separated ∼1 min in time, a method that is commonly used to estimate sea ice drift from satellite products. The advantage of MR is that images in close temporal proximity are readily available. A typical MR antenna rotation period is ∼1–2 s, whereas satellite revisit times can be on the order of days. The technique is applied to ∼4 weeks of measurements taken from R/V Sikuliaq in the Beaufort Sea in the fall of 2015. The resulting sea ice velocity fields have ∼500 m and up to ∼5 min resolution, covering a maximum range of ∼4 km. The MR velocity fields are validated using the GPS-tracked motion of Surface Wave Instrument Float with Tracking (SWIFT) drifters, wave buoys, and R/V Sikuliaq during ice stations. The comparison between MR and reference sea ice drift measurements yields root-mean-square errors from 0.8 to 5.6 cm s−1. The MR sea ice velocity fields near the ice edge reveal strong horizontal gradients and peak speeds > 1 m s−1. The observed submesoscale sea ice drift processes include an eddy with ∼6 km diameter and vorticities <–2 (normalized by the Coriolis frequency) as well as converging and diverging flow with normalized divergences <–2 and >1, respectively. The sea ice drift speed correlates only weakly with the wind speed (r2 = 0.34), which presents a challenge to conventional wisdom.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4298-4321
Number of pages24
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Volume123
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2018
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Marine radar
ice drift
Sea ice
sea ice
radar
Arctic region
ice
velocity distribution
Ice
Beaufort Sea (North America)
Satellites
buoys
Buoys
floats
drifter
root-mean-square errors
Beaufort Sea
superhigh frequencies
Vorticity
vorticity

Keywords

  • air/sea/ice exchange processes
  • Dynamics
  • Ice mechanics
  • Instruments and techniques
  • Remote sensing
  • Sea ice

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • Forestry
  • Oceanography
  • Aquatic Science
  • Ecology
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Soil Science
  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Earth-Surface Processes
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Palaeontology

Cite this

Lund, B., Graber, H. C., Persson, P. O. G., Smith, M., Doble, M., Thomson, J., & Wadhams, P. (2018). Arctic Sea Ice Drift Measured by Shipboard Marine Radar. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123(6), 4298-4321. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC013769

Arctic Sea Ice Drift Measured by Shipboard Marine Radar. / Lund, B.; Graber, Hans C; Persson, P. O.G.; Smith, M.; Doble, M.; Thomson, J.; Wadhams, P.

In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Vol. 123, No. 6, 01.06.2018, p. 4298-4321.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Lund, B, Graber, HC, Persson, POG, Smith, M, Doble, M, Thomson, J & Wadhams, P 2018, 'Arctic Sea Ice Drift Measured by Shipboard Marine Radar', Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, vol. 123, no. 6, pp. 4298-4321. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC013769
Lund B, Graber HC, Persson POG, Smith M, Doble M, Thomson J et al. Arctic Sea Ice Drift Measured by Shipboard Marine Radar. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. 2018 Jun 1;123(6):4298-4321. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC013769
Lund, B. ; Graber, Hans C ; Persson, P. O.G. ; Smith, M. ; Doble, M. ; Thomson, J. ; Wadhams, P. / Arctic Sea Ice Drift Measured by Shipboard Marine Radar. In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. 2018 ; Vol. 123, No. 6. pp. 4298-4321.
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abstract = "This study presents Arctic sea ice drift fields measured by shipboard marine X-band radar (MR). The measurements are based on the maximum cross correlation between two sequential MR backscatter images separated ∼1 min in time, a method that is commonly used to estimate sea ice drift from satellite products. The advantage of MR is that images in close temporal proximity are readily available. A typical MR antenna rotation period is ∼1–2 s, whereas satellite revisit times can be on the order of days. The technique is applied to ∼4 weeks of measurements taken from R/V Sikuliaq in the Beaufort Sea in the fall of 2015. The resulting sea ice velocity fields have ∼500 m and up to ∼5 min resolution, covering a maximum range of ∼4 km. The MR velocity fields are validated using the GPS-tracked motion of Surface Wave Instrument Float with Tracking (SWIFT) drifters, wave buoys, and R/V Sikuliaq during ice stations. The comparison between MR and reference sea ice drift measurements yields root-mean-square errors from 0.8 to 5.6 cm s−1. The MR sea ice velocity fields near the ice edge reveal strong horizontal gradients and peak speeds > 1 m s−1. The observed submesoscale sea ice drift processes include an eddy with ∼6 km diameter and vorticities <–2 (normalized by the Coriolis frequency) as well as converging and diverging flow with normalized divergences <–2 and >1, respectively. The sea ice drift speed correlates only weakly with the wind speed (r2 = 0.34), which presents a challenge to conventional wisdom.",
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