Brief communication: The anomalous winter 2019  sea-ice conditions in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

G. H. Leonard; K. E. Turner; K. E. Turner; M. E. Richter; M. S. Whittaker; I. J. Smith

doi:10.5194/tc-15-4999-2021

The Cryosphere (Oct 2021)

Brief communication: The anomalous winter 2019 sea-ice conditions in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

G. H. Leonard,
K. E. Turner,
K. E. Turner,
M. E. Richter,
M. S. Whittaker,
I. J. Smith

Affiliations

G. H. Leonard: National School of Surveying, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
K. E. Turner: Department of Physics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
K. E. Turner: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand
M. E. Richter: Department of Physics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
M. S. Whittaker: Department of Physics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
I. J. Smith: Department of Physics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4999-2021
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15
pp. 4999 – 5006

Abstract

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McMurdo Sound sea ice can generally be partitioned into two regimes: (1) a stable fast-ice cover, forming south of approximately 77.6∘ S around March–April and then breaking out the following January–February, and (2) a more dynamic region north of 77.6∘ S that the McMurdo Sound and Ross Sea polynyas regularly impact. In 2019, a stable fast-ice cover formed unusually late due to repeated break-out events. We analyse the 2019 sea-ice conditions and relate them to a modified storm index (MSI), a proxy for southerly wind events. We find there is a strong correlation between the timing of break-out events and several unusually large MSI events.

Published in The Cryosphere

ISSN: 1994-0416 (Print); 1994-0424 (Online)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences; Science: Geology
Website: http://www.the-cryosphere.net/

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