A dataset of the daily edge of each polynya in the Antarctic

Abstract

Abstract Polynyas play a critical role in the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water and the enhancement of polar primary productivity. Accurate and exhaustive identification of Antarctic polynyas is fundamental to advancing in-depth research. However, due to methodological limitations, previous studies paid more attention to frequent polynyas and infrequent polynyas have not been investigated much despite that they could be vulnerable to climate change. Inspired by a cyclone tracking algorithm, we develop a novel method to overcome challenges identifying all types of polynyas satisfying spatiotemporal criteria and tracing their daily evolution, extracting from an extensive amount of sea ice concentration data. Based on it, we establish a dataset called “Daily Edge of Each Polynya in Antarctica” (DEEP-AA). Validation against remote sensing and ship-based observations confirms DEEP-AA’s reliability. Compared to existing maps, the DEEP-AA identifies a threefold number of polynyas and reveals the seasonal area recovery of infrequent polynyas is earlier than frequent ones.