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The Dynamic Response of Sea Ice to Warming in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Author(s) -
Howell Stephen E. L.,
Brady Mike
Publication year - 2019
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 - 10.1029/2019gl085116
Subject(s) - arctic ice pack , sea ice , arctic , archipelago , arctic sea ice decline , arctic dipole anomaly , arctic geoengineering , antarctic sea ice , oceanography , drift ice , geology , climatology , environmental science , sea ice thickness , ice albedo feedback , flux (metallurgy) , global warming , climate change , chemistry , organic chemistry
Ice arches in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) block the inflow of Arctic Ocean ice for the majority of the year. A 22 year record (1997–2018) of Arctic Ocean‐CAA ice exchange was used to investigate the effect of warming on CAA sea ice dynamics. Larger ice area flux values were associated with longer flow duration and faster ice speed facilitated by increased open water leeway from the CAA's transition to a younger and thinner ice regime, which together have contributed to a significant ice area flux increase (10 3 km 2 /year) from Arctic Ocean into the northern CAA from 1997 to 2018. Remarkably, the 2016 Arctic Ocean ice area flux into the CAA (161 × 10 3 km 2 ) was 7 times greater than the 1997–2018 average (23 × 10 3 km 2 ) and almost double the 2007 ice area flux into Nares Strait (87 × 10 3 km 2 ). Continued warming may result in the CAA becoming a larger outlet for Arctic Ocean ice area loss.