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Baffin Bay ice drift and export: 2002–2007
Author(s) -
Kwok Ron
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2007gl031204
Subject(s) - bay , geology , oceanography , outflow , trough (economics) , sea ice , arctic ice pack , inflow , sound (geography) , iceberg , climatology , economics , macroeconomics
Multiyear estimates of sea ice drift in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait are derived for the first time from the 89 GHz channel of the AMSR‐E instrument. Uncertainties in the drift estimates, assessed with Envisat ice motion, are ∼2–3 km/day. A persistent atmospheric trough, between the coast of Greenland and Baffin Island, drives the prevailing southward drift pattern with average daily displacements in excess of 18–20 km during winter. Over the 5‐year record, the ice export ranges between 360 and 675 × 10 3 km 2 , with an average of 530 × 10 3 km 2 . Sea ice area inflow from the Nares Strait, Lancaster Sound and Jones Sound potentially contribute up to a third of the net area outflow while ice production at the North Water Polynya contributes the balance. Rough estimates of annual volume export give ∼500–800 km 3 . Comparatively, these are ∼70% and ∼30% of the annual area and volume exports at the Fram Strait.