Review of methods and main results of sea ice thickness measurements in the Arctic

Abstract

Review of main methods of sea ice thickness measurements and results of published researches about climate and interannual variability of this parameter in the Arctic Basin and in the Arctic Seas are presented. Following methods of thickness measurements are developed and widely used: ice drilling, acoustic (echo sounder), electromagnetic method, visual and TV ship observations. Maximum area of the Arctic sea ice can be covered by acoustic measurements from submarines, visual and TV ship observations from ice class vessels and icebreakers. Results of thickness measurements in the Arctic reviewed in present research were obtained in various regions of the Arctic, in various seasons, by various methods and various periods, and, consequently, do not allow to estimate unambiguously a climate and interannual variability of sea ice thickness in the Arctic. However, authors concluded that changes of average sea ice thickness in the Arctic Basin are influenced in first turn by dynamic processes caused by changes in the atmosphere circulation. TV-complex developed in the AARI is a perspective method to automate process of sea ice thickness measurements from the shipboards.

Keywords

• drill-hole measurements
• climate changes
• visual ice observations
• fast ice thickness
• ice thickness
• em sea ice thickness measurements