wmo-im
Add new sea ice variable: Floe size distribution
Introduction
The sea ice landscape consists of morphological features such as ice floes, ridges, keels (the underside of a ridge), leads, and polynyas. Sea ice floes are contiguous pieces of sea ice. They are typically circular in shape with diameters from a few meters to 10 kilometers. Thermodynamically, the spaces between floes are areas of substantial energy exchange between the ocean and atmosphere. Floe size impacts the magnitude of energy exchange, including the lateral melt rate of the ice. Dynamically, the collision of adjacent floes form ridges, keels, and fractures. Large-scale models that include sea ice characteristics do not (yet) incorporate an explicit treatment of floe size.
Proposed name: Sea-ice floe size distribution Proposed definition: he size distribution of contiguous pieces of sea ice over a defined area, represented by the effective floe size of the frequency distribution. Proposed unit: m
Amendment details
There is no current variable related to sea ice floe size.
| notation | name | definition |
|---|---|---|
| TBD | Sea-ice floe size distribution | The size distribution of contiguous pieces of sea ice over a defined area, represented by the effective floe size of the frequency distribution. |
All the units involved exist and no changes are needed.
Requestor(s)
Group: Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW). POCs:
Jeff Key ([email protected]), University of Wisconsin Petra Heil, University of Tasmania and Australian Antarctic Division, ([email protected]) Rodica Nitu, WMO, ([email protected])
Stakeholder(s)
National and international ice services, numerical modeling, and the scientific community.
Applications or Systems
- [x] OSCAR/Surface
- [x] OSCAR/requirements
- [ ] GAWSIS
- [ ] Radar/DB
- [ ] OceanOPS
- [ ] WHOS
- [ ] WDQMS
- [ ] GBON Compliance Monitor
- [ ] Other
Expected impact of change
LOW
Consultations
Stage of Development is defined in WMO Sea Ice Nomenclature (WMO No. 259, volume 1 – Terminology and Codes, Volume II – Illustrated Glossary and III – International System of Sea-Ice Symbols), March 2014. (https://library.wmo.int/records/item/41953-wmo-sea-ice-nomenclature)
Statement of Guidance for Cryosphere Applications (draft; https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zl34oVvWNMO8VXBgDFpo08CK4bFDL6cU62flGCoz8yM/edit?usp=sharing)
Sea ice experts in and outside of the Global Cryosphere Watch were consulted on the importance of this variable.
References:
Bateson, A. W., Feltham, D. L., Schröder, D., Wang, Y., Hwang, B., Ridley, J. K., and Aksenov, Y., 2022, Sea ice floe size: its impact on pan-Arctic and local ice mass and required model complexity, The Cryosphere, 16, 2565–2593, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2565-2022.
Gherardi, M., Lagomarsino, M., 2015, Characterizing the size and shape of sea ice floes. Sci Rep 5, 10226, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep10226.
Toyota, T. Takatsuji, S. & Nakayama, M., 2006, Characteristics of sea ice floe size distribution in the seasonal ice zone. Geophy. Res. Lett. 33, L02616.
More references will be added later.
Data exchange
No response
Comments
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