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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L17501, doi:10.1029/2006GL027198, 2006

Depletion of perennial sea ice in the East Arctic Ocean

S. V. Nghiem

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


Y. Chao

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


G. Neumann

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


P. Li

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA


D. K. Perovich

U.S. Army Cold Region Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA


T. Street

National Ice Center, Washington, DC, USA


P. Clemente-Colón

National Ice Center, Washington, DC, USA


Abstract

The extent of perennial sea ice in the East Arctic Ocean (0–180°E) decreased by nearly one half with an abrupt reduction of 0.95 × 106 km2, while the West Arctic Ocean (0–180°W) had a slight gain of 0.23 × 106 km2 between 2004 and 2005, as observed by satellite scatterometer data during November–December. The net decrease in the total perennial ice extent is 0.72 × 106 km2, about the size of Texas. Perennial ice in the East Arctic Ocean continued to be depleted with an areal reduction of 70% from October 2005 to April 2006. With the East Arctic Ocean dominated by seasonal sea ice, a strong summer melt may open a vast ice-free region with a possible record minimum ice extent largely confined to the West Arctic Ocean. Simultaneous scatterometer measurements of sea ice and winds will be crucial for sea ice monitoring and forecasts.

Received 19 June 2006; accepted 18 July 2006; published 7 September 2006.

Index Terms: 0750 Cryosphere: Sea ice (4540); 0758 Cryosphere: Remote sensing; 0762 Cryosphere: Mass balance (1218, 1223); 0772 Cryosphere: Distribution; 0794 Cryosphere: Instruments and techniques.

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Citation: Nghiem, S. V., Y. Chao, G. Neumann, P. Li, D. K. Perovich, T. Street, and P. Clemente-Colón (2006), Depletion of perennial sea ice in the East Arctic Ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L17501, doi:10.1029/2006GL027198.