Abstract's details
Wave propagation and attenuation under sea ice
CoAuthors
Event: 2022 CFOSAT Science Team Meeting
Session: Wind and waves: characterization, processes, modeling
Presentation type: Type Oral
Contribution: PDF file
Abstract:
Wind-generated waves have a strong interaction with sea ice that is critical for air-sea
exchanges, operations at sea and marine life, and is not fully understood. In particular
the dissipation of wave energy is not well quantified and its possible effect on upper ocean mixing and ice drift are still mysterious. The growing but still limited amount of in situ observations is a clear limitation in our scientific understanding. Remote sensing of wave signal in the Arctic and Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone, from recent analysis of CFOSAT wave radar lower incidence angles and ICESat-2 laser altimeter, complementing sparse Sentinel1 images, have shown the frequent presence of waves under the ice. The SWIM instrument on CFOSAT, can be used together with Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and laser altimeter Icesat-2 as a pan-Arctic monitoring system of waves under ice, possibly with some minor adjustments in their acquisition modes. Although data from optical systems is available much less frequently, they provide unique information that is highly beneficial to the interpretation of radar data. A routine intercomparison of radar and optical data can have large benefits for the understanding of properties of both waves and sea ice.
exchanges, operations at sea and marine life, and is not fully understood. In particular
the dissipation of wave energy is not well quantified and its possible effect on upper ocean mixing and ice drift are still mysterious. The growing but still limited amount of in situ observations is a clear limitation in our scientific understanding. Remote sensing of wave signal in the Arctic and Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone, from recent analysis of CFOSAT wave radar lower incidence angles and ICESat-2 laser altimeter, complementing sparse Sentinel1 images, have shown the frequent presence of waves under the ice. The SWIM instrument on CFOSAT, can be used together with Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and laser altimeter Icesat-2 as a pan-Arctic monitoring system of waves under ice, possibly with some minor adjustments in their acquisition modes. Although data from optical systems is available much less frequently, they provide unique information that is highly beneficial to the interpretation of radar data. A routine intercomparison of radar and optical data can have large benefits for the understanding of properties of both waves and sea ice.