Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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• Accounts for ~15% of the total annual mean ice
cover in the Arctic Basin;
• Grows locally on the Arctic shelves and is primarily
thermodynamically controlled;
• Produces ~2x103 km3 of ice volume annually;
• Shows a large interannual variability but is not well
understood.
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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RADARSAT image on 1 June 1997
Because of its unique
geolocation, landfast ice
is directly involved with
the coastal river runoff
and the land-upper
ocean interaction in
terms of the freshwater
cycle.
(http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/learn/tour/)
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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As a shelf freshwater “reservoir”, landfast ice acts like a
rechargeable battery, storing freshwater in winter and releasing it
later in summer.
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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Landfast ice stores about the same
amount of freshwater as the total
annual terrestrial discharge from the
four largest Arctic rivers.
Annual Freshwater Storage (in cubic km)
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Landfast Ice
Yenisey
Ob
Lena
Mackenzie
Total Four
River
Discharge
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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Goals of this project are:



examine the interannual fluctuation of landfast
extent for the whole Arctic Basin;
investigate the spatial & temporal variations in
ice growth and melt patterns;
analyze the long-term changes of ice volume in
terms of freshwater storage and their responses
to Arctic climate variations, such as Ta, Wind,
and major river runoff.
Integrate research with education
An undergraduate student will be involved with the project through
the university’s Summer Undergraduate Student Program
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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What
researc
h
plans?!
1-D thermodynamic sea ice model
(http://www.crysys.uwaterlo.ca/science/)
• Derive landfast ice extent/coverage from NIC weekly ice charts for the
period 1976-1994 (2001)
• Compute daily landfast ice thickness, growth/melt, and ice volume for
seven coastal regions associated with the major Arctic drainage basins
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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Determine Long-Term changes of
landfast ice
Compare these changes with seasonal and
interannual variations
of river runoff, air temperatures, wind,
and the AO index
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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Possible Connections with Other Projects
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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Data Gaps?


Updated river discharge data;
Coastal/shelf water observations, such as Ts,
salinity, Oxygen isotope samples;

Landfast ice thickness observations;

Model simulations of shelf processes.
Freshwater Initiative 1st All-Hands meeting, Boulder, 18-19 February 2003
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