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Hydrographic data collected from research cruises, bottom-anchored moorings, driftingIce-Tethered Profilers, and satellite altimetry in the Beaufort Gyre region of the Arctic Ocean document an increase of more than 6,400 km 3 of liquid freshwater content from 2003 to 2018: a 40% growth relative to the climatology of the 1970s. This fresh water accumulation is shown to result from persistent anticyclonic atmospheric wind forcing accompanied by sea ice melt, a wind-forced redirection of Mackenzie River discharge from predominantly eastward to westward flow, and a contribution of low salinity waters of Pacific Ocean origin via Bering Strait. Despite significant uncertainties in the different observations, this study has demonstrated the synergistic value of having multiple diverse datasets to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of Beaufort Gyre freshwater content variability. For example, Beaufort Gyre Observational System (BGOS) surveys clearly show the interannual increase in freshwater content, but without satellite or Ice-Tethered Profiler measurements, it is not possible to resolve the seasonal cycle of freshwater content, which in fact is larger than the year-to-year variability, or the more subtle interannual variations. Plain Language AbstractThe Beaufort Gyre centered in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean is the major reservoir of fresh water in the Arctic. The primary focus of this study is on quantifying variability and trends in liquid (water) and solid (sea ice) freshwater content in this region. The Beaufort Gyre Exploration Program was initiated in 2003 to synthesize results of historical data analysis, design and conduct long-term observations, and to provide information for numerical modeling under the umbrella of the FAMOS (Forum for Arctic Observing and Modeling Synthesis) project. The data collected from research cruises, moorings, Ice-Tethered Profiler observations, and satellite altimetry document an increase of more than 6,400 km 3 of liquid freshwater content from 2003 to 2018, a 40% growth relative to the climatology of the 1970s. This fresh water volume is comparable to the fresh water volume released to the sub-arctic seas during the Great Salinity Anomaly episode of the 1970s. Thus, since the 2000s, the stage has been set for another possible release of fresh water to lower latitudes with accompanying climate impacts, including changes to sea ice conditions, ocean circulation, and ecosystems of the Sub-Arctic similar to the influence of the Great Salinity Anomaly observed in the 1970s.

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ABSTRACT. Preliminary results are presented from the first validation of geophysical data products (ice concentration, snow thickness on sea ice (h s)and ice temperature (T I ) from the NASA EOS Aqua AMSR-E sensor, in East Antarctica (in September-October 2003). The challenge of collecting sufficient measurements with which to validate the coarse-resolution AMSR-E data products adequately was addressed by means of a hierarchical approach, using detailed in situ measurements, digital aerial photography and other satellite data. Initial results from a circumnavigation of the experimental site indicate that, at least under cold conditions with a dry snow cover, there is a reasonably close agreement between satellite-and aerial-photo-derived ice concentrations, i.e. 97.2 AE 3.6% for NT2 and 96.5 AE 2.5% for BBA algorithms vs 94.3% for the aerial photos. In general, the AMSR-E concentration represents a slight overestimate of the actual concentration, with the largest discrepancies occurring in regions containing a relatively high proportion of thin ice. The AMSR-E concentrations from the NT2 and BBA algorithms are similar on average, although differences of up to 5% occur in places, again related to thin-ice distribution. The AMSR-E ice temperature (T I ) product agrees with coincident surface measurements to approximately 0.58C in the limited dataset analyzed. Regarding snow thickness, the AMSR h s retrieval is a significant underestimate compared to in situ measurements weighted by the percentage of thin ice (and open water) present. For the case study analyzed, the underestimate was 46% for the overall average, but 23% compared to smooth-ice measurements. The spatial distribution of the AMSR-E h s product follows an expected and consistent spatial pattern, suggesting that the observed difference may be an offset (at least under freezing conditions). Areas of discrepancy are identified, and the need for future work using the more extensive dataset is highlighted.

Melt pond fraction (MPF) on sea ice is an important factor for ice‐albedo feedback throughout the Arctic Ocean. We propose an algorithm to estimate MPF using satellite passive microwave data in this study. The brightness temperature (TB) data obtained from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer‐Earth observing system (AMSR‐E) were compared to the ship‐based MPF in the Beaufort Sea and Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The difference between the TB at horizontal and vertical polarizations of 6.9 and 89.0 GHz (MP06H–89V), respectively, depends on the MPF. The correlation between MP06H–89V and ship‐based MPF was higher than that between ship‐based MPF and two individual channels (6.9 and 89.0 GHz of horizontal and vertical polarizations, respectively). The MPF determined with the highest resolution channel, 89.0 GHz (5 km × 5 km), provides spatial information with more detail than the 6.9 GHz channel. The algorithm estimates the relative fraction of ice covered by water (1) over areas where sea ice concentration is higher than 95%, (2) during late summer, and (3) in areas with low atmospheric humidity. The MPF estimated from AMSR‐E data (AMSR‐E MPF) in early summer was underestimated at lower latitudes and overestimated at higher latitudes, compared to the MPF obtained from the Moderate Resolution Image Spectrometer (MODIS MPF). The differences between AMSR‐E MPF and MODIS MPF were less than 5% in most the regions and the periods. Our results suggest that the proposal algorithm serves as a basis for building time series of MPF in regions of consolidated ice pack.

The properties of snow on East Antarctic sea ice off Wilkes Land were examined during the Sea Ice Physics and Ecosystem Experiment (SIPEX)

Antarctic coastal polynyas are major areas of intense ocean–atmosphere heat and moisture flux, and associated high Sea-ice production and dense-water formation. Their accurate detection, including an estimate of thin ice thickness, is therefore very important. In this paper, we apply a technique originally developed in the Arctic to an estimation of Sea-ice thickness using Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data and meteorological data in the Vincennes Bay polynya off Wilkes Land, East Antarctica. The method is based upon the heat-flux calculation using Sea-ice Surface temperature estimates from the Satellite thermal-infrared data combined with global objective analysis (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)) data. The validity of this method is assessed by comparing results with independent ice-surface temperature and ice-thickness data obtained during an Australian-led research cruise to the region in 2003. In thin-ice (polynya) regions, ice thicknesses estimated by the heat-flux calculation using AVHRR and ECMWF data Show reasonable agreement with those estimated by (a) applying the heat-flux calculation to in Situ radiation thermometer and meteorological data and (b) in Situ observations. The Standard deviation of the difference between the AVHRR-derived and in Situ data is ∽0.02 m. Comparison of the AVHRR ice-thickness retrievals with coincident Satellite passive-microwave polarization ratio data confirms the potential of the latter as a means of deriving maps of thin Sea-ice thickness on the wider Scale, uninterrupted by darkness and cloud cover.

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