Spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya from high-resolution visible satellite imagery
<p>Coastal polynyas around the Antarctic continent are regions of very strong ocean–atmosphere heat and moisture exchange that are important for local and regional weather, sea ice production, and water mass formation. Due to extreme atmospheric conditions (very strong offshore winds, low air...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2023-05-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/17/2073/2023/tc-17-2073-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797825371427569664 |
|---|---|
| author | K. Bradtke A. Herman |
| author_facet | K. Bradtke A. Herman |
| author_sort | K. Bradtke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Coastal polynyas around the Antarctic continent are
regions of very strong ocean–atmosphere heat and moisture exchange that are
important for local and regional weather, sea ice production, and water mass
formation. Due to extreme atmospheric conditions (very strong offshore
winds, low air temperature, as well as humidity) the surface ocean layer in
polynyas is highly turbulent, with mixing due to combined Langmuir,
wind-induced, and buoyancy-driven turbulence. One of the visible signs of
complex interactions between the mixed-layer dynamics and the forming sea
ice are frazil streaks, elongated patches of high ice concentration
separated by areas of open water. In spite of their ubiquity, observational
and modelling analyses of frazil streaks have been very limited largely due
to the fact that their significance for heat flux and ice production is only
just becoming apparent. In this study, the first comprehensive analysis of
the spatial variability of surface frazil concentration is performed for the
Terra Nova Bay Polynya (TNBP). Frazil streaks are identified in
high-resolution (pixel size 10–15 m) visible satellite imagery, and their
properties (surface area, width, spacing, and orientation) are linked to the
meteorological forcing (wind speed and air temperature). This provides a
simple statistical tool for estimating the extent and ice coverage of the
region of high ice production under given meteorological conditions. It is
also shown that the orientation of narrow streaks tends to agree with the
wind direction, suggesting the dominating role of the local wind forcing in
their formation. Very wide streaks, in turn, deviate from that pattern, as
they are presumably influenced by several additional factors, including
local water circulation and the associated convergence zones. An analysis of
peak wavelengths and directions determined from the images, compared to
analogous open-water wavelengths computed with a spectral wave model,
demonstrates a significant slow-down in the observed wave growth in TNBP.
This suggests an important role of frazil streaks in modifying wind-wave
growth and/or dissipation in polynyas.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:53:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3673e9b5a7d7418ca317ba8ad20a3267 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:53:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-3673e9b5a7d7418ca317ba8ad20a32672023-05-17T05:55:11ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242023-05-01172073209410.5194/tc-17-2073-2023Spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya from high-resolution visible satellite imageryK. Bradtke0A. Herman1Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, PolandInstitute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland<p>Coastal polynyas around the Antarctic continent are regions of very strong ocean–atmosphere heat and moisture exchange that are important for local and regional weather, sea ice production, and water mass formation. Due to extreme atmospheric conditions (very strong offshore winds, low air temperature, as well as humidity) the surface ocean layer in polynyas is highly turbulent, with mixing due to combined Langmuir, wind-induced, and buoyancy-driven turbulence. One of the visible signs of complex interactions between the mixed-layer dynamics and the forming sea ice are frazil streaks, elongated patches of high ice concentration separated by areas of open water. In spite of their ubiquity, observational and modelling analyses of frazil streaks have been very limited largely due to the fact that their significance for heat flux and ice production is only just becoming apparent. In this study, the first comprehensive analysis of the spatial variability of surface frazil concentration is performed for the Terra Nova Bay Polynya (TNBP). Frazil streaks are identified in high-resolution (pixel size 10–15 m) visible satellite imagery, and their properties (surface area, width, spacing, and orientation) are linked to the meteorological forcing (wind speed and air temperature). This provides a simple statistical tool for estimating the extent and ice coverage of the region of high ice production under given meteorological conditions. It is also shown that the orientation of narrow streaks tends to agree with the wind direction, suggesting the dominating role of the local wind forcing in their formation. Very wide streaks, in turn, deviate from that pattern, as they are presumably influenced by several additional factors, including local water circulation and the associated convergence zones. An analysis of peak wavelengths and directions determined from the images, compared to analogous open-water wavelengths computed with a spectral wave model, demonstrates a significant slow-down in the observed wave growth in TNBP. This suggests an important role of frazil streaks in modifying wind-wave growth and/or dissipation in polynyas.</p>https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/17/2073/2023/tc-17-2073-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | K. Bradtke A. Herman Spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya from high-resolution visible satellite imagery The Cryosphere |
| title | Spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya from high-resolution visible satellite imagery |
| title_full | Spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya from high-resolution visible satellite imagery |
| title_fullStr | Spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya from high-resolution visible satellite imagery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya from high-resolution visible satellite imagery |
| title_short | Spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya from high-resolution visible satellite imagery |
| title_sort | spatial characteristics of frazil streaks in the terra nova bay polynya from high resolution visible satellite imagery |
| url | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/17/2073/2023/tc-17-2073-2023.pdf |
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