SEDNA: a Close Look at Sea Ice Dynamics
03.04.2007 - Logistics, Other
A team of scientists led by Jennifer Hutchings of the University of Alaska Fairbanks will spend two weeks at the U.S. Navy ice camp in the Beaufort Sea to study the relationship between ice movement, stress and the overall mass of sea ice. This field expedition is part of the Sea Ice Experiment: Dynamic Nature of the Arctic (SEDNA) project, and takes place within the International Polar Year research efforts.
Currently, ice deformations caused by Arctic sea ice movements and their effect on the thickness and durability of the Arctic ice pack are not very well known. The team will deploy buoys and other instruments to measure the movement and stress of the pack ice. Collected data will be used to validate the current generation of sea ice models in order to be able to make better predictions regarding Arctic climate change.
Ice deformation may have an effect on climate because open leads of water tend to add more heat and moisture to the atmosphere, which could reduce the overall amount of sea ice.
Conversely, if ice movement results in more ridges and thicker ice, the result could be a more durable Arctic ice pack that is less vulnerable to seasonal melting.
