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Sea ice is a composite material made up of pure ice, liquid brine, air, and salt. The volumetric fractions of these components—ice, brine, and air—determine the key physical properties of sea ice, including thermal conductivity, heat capacity, latent heat, density, elastic modulus, and mechanical strength. [16]
The Arctic Ocean is the mass of water positioned approximately above latitude 65° N. Arctic Sea Ice refers to the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice. The Arctic sea ice minimum is the day in a given year when Arctic sea ice reaches its smallest extent, occurring at the end of the summer melting season, normally during September.
The Arctic sea ice covers less area in the summer than in the winter. The multi-year (i.e. perennial) sea ice covers nearly all of the central deep basins. The Arctic sea ice and its related biota are unique, and the year-round persistence of the ice has allowed the development of ice endemic species, meaning species not found anywhere else.
To estimate ice area, scientists calculate the percentage of sea ice in each pixel, multiply by the pixel area, and total the amounts. Scientists set a threshold percentage to estimate ice extent, and count every pixel meeting or exceeding that threshold as "ice-covered." The common threshold is 15 %.
A lead ( / ˈliːd /, rhymes with "reed") is a large fracture within an expanse of sea ice, defining a linear area of open water that can be used for navigation purposes. [1] [2] [3] Leads vary in width from meters to hundreds of meters. [4] As is the case for polynyas (another sea ice feature involving open water), leads allow the direct ...
The cryosphere is an umbrella term for those portions of Earth 's surface where water is in solid form. This includes sea ice, ice on lakes or rivers, snow, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, and frozen ground (which includes permafrost ). Thus, there is a overlap with the hydrosphere.
Sea ice concentration. Sea ice concentration is a useful variable for climate scientists and nautical navigators. It is defined as the area of sea ice relative to the total at a given point in the ocean . This article will deal primarily with its determination from remote sensing measurements.
The Arctic ice pack is the sea ice cover of the Arctic Ocean and its vicinity. The Arctic ice pack undergoes a regular seasonal cycle in which ice melts in spring and summer, reaches a minimum around mid-September, then increases during fall and winter. Summer ice cover in the Arctic is about 50% of winter cover. [1]