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Sea ice conditions and melt season duration variability within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: 1979–2008
Author(s) -
Howell Stephen E. L.,
Duguay Claude R.,
Markus Thorsten
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1029/2009gl037681
Subject(s) - arctic , archipelago , sea ice , arctic ice pack , climatology , oceanography , arctic sea ice decline , environmental science , geology , antarctic sea ice
Sea ice conditions and melt season duration within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) were investigated from 1979–2008. The CAA is exhibiting statistically significant decreases in average September total sea ice area at −8.7% decade −1 . The melt season duration within the CAA is increasing significantly at 7 days decade −1 . 2008 represented the longest melt season duration within the CAA over the satellite record at 129 days. Average September multi‐year ice (MYI) area is decreasing at −6.4% decade −1 but has yet to reach statistical significance as a result of increasing MYI dynamic import from the Arctic Ocean. Results also find that the Western Parry Channel (WPC) region of the Northwest Passage (NWP) will continue to be susceptible to MYI as the transition to a summer‐time sea ice free Arctic continues. The processes responsible for the temporary clearing of the WPC region of the NWP in 2007 were also identified.