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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 32, L18504, doi:10.1029/2005GL023976, 2005

Spatial and temporal variations in the age structure of Arctic sea ice

G. I. Belchansky

Institute of Ecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

D. C. Douglas

Juneau Field Station, Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Juneau, Alaska, USA

N. G. Platonov

Institute of Ecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Abstract

Spatial and temporal variations in the age structure of Arctic sea ice are investigated using a new reverse-chronology algorithm that tracks ice-covered pixels to their location and date of origin based on ice motion and concentration data. The Beaufort Gyre tends to harbor the oldest (>10 years old) sea ice in the western Arctic while direct ice advection pathways toward the Transpolar Drift Stream maintain relatively young (≤5 years) ice in the eastern Arctic. Persistent net losses (−4.2% yr⁻¹) in extent of ice >10 years old (10+ year age class) were observed during 1989–2003. Since the mid-1990s, losses to the 10+ year age class lacked compensation by recruitment due to a prior depletion of all mature (6–10 year) age classes. Survival of the 1994 and 1996–1998 sea ice generations reestablished most mature age classes, and thereby the potential to increase extent of the 10+ year age class during the mid-2000s.

Received 1 July 2005; accepted 24 August 2005; published 30 September 2005.

Index Terms: 0750 Cryosphere: Sea ice (4540); 0758 Cryosphere: Remote sensing; 0772 Cryosphere: Distribution; 0774 Cryosphere: Dynamics; 4207 Oceanography: General: Arctic and Antarctic oceanography (9310, 9315).

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Citation: Belchansky, G. I., D. C. Douglas, and N. G. Platonov (2005), Spatial and temporal variations in the age structure of Arctic sea ice, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L18504, doi:10.1029/2005GL023976.

Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.