Using satellites, we are now able to measure the thickness of the Arctic ice—even in summer. This has major implications for Arctic shipping and future weather and climate predictions. The solution was developed by an international team, led by researchers at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the University of Bristol.
“Arctic ice is melting faster than ever before. We need knowledge of sea ice thickness, both to reduce safety risks to Arctic business and shipping, but also to make predictions about future climate,” says head of the Jack Landy group in the Department of Physics and Technology at UiT who started the work while at the University of Bristol.
The research team developed the first data set showing sea ice thickness across the entire Arctic and over the course of an entire year. The results are published in the journal Nature.
Satellites are blinded by melting ice
Satellites have been used to measure ice thickness in the Arctic since the 1980s. But the technique has only worked in winter, from October to March, when the ice and snow are cold and dry.
“In the summer months the satellites are blinded by lakes of snow and ice melting on the surface of the sea ice. Then they couldn’t distinguish between the melting ice and the water,” says Landy.
Using artificial intelligence to solve the problem
To solve the problem, researchers adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) and examined previous data from satellites. Now they know when the satellites are recording ice and when they are recording the ocean.
Measuring Arctic sea ice thickness. Credit: Christian Zoelly / Norwegian Polar Institute
In addition, the team has built a new computer model of the satellite sensor to make sure it measures the correct height and thickness.
This is good news for the shipping industry.
Safer to sail in Arctic waters
Arctic shipping has grown rapidly in recent years due to melting ice. Especially in the Barents Sea and near Svalbard, shipping activity is high during the summer. To sail safely, boats need information about where ice is and how thick it is, in advance.
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute provides sea ice forecasts for the Arctic, but they do not have reliable ice thickness data for the summer months.
Melting Arctic sea ice photographed by the Alfred Wegener Institute’s airborne sea ice survey IceBird. Credit: Alfred-Wegener-Institute / Esther Horvath
“Using the new satellite data, we are finally able to make sea ice predictions based on ice thickness, not only for winter, but also for summer. This will reduce safety risks for ships and fishing vessels Landy says.
“We can also predict whether or not there will be ice at a given location in September by measuring the thickness of the ice in May,” he says.
Increased understanding of climate
According to Associate Professor Dr. Michel Tsamados from University College London, the findings are also of great importance for understanding weather and climate.
UiT researchers Polona Itkin and Jack Landy are developing a sea ice mass balance buoy in the Arctic to record ice thickness. Credit: Christian Zoelly / Norwegian Polar Institute
He is one of the researchers behind the study and explains that the new data can be used in advanced climate models to improve our weather and climate predictions.
“When we use the new ice thickness data in advanced climate models, we will improve both our short-term predictions of mid-latitude weather and our long-term predictions of what climate will be like in the future,” he said. says.
New observations from ICESat-2 show remarkable thinning of Arctic sea ice in just three years More information: Jack Landy, Year-round satellite sea ice thickness record from CryoSat-2, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05058-5. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05058-5
Provided by UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Report: For the first time, we can measure Arctic sea ice thickness throughout the year (2022, September 14) retrieved on September 14, 2022 by
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