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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).
Read Full Article (file size: 522389 bytes) Cited by
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.
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