Analysis on the crystals of sea ice cores derived from Weddell Sea,Antarctica

In order to understand the sea ice types and its region of origin frozen in Weddell Sea,27 ice cores were taken from Weddell Sea,Antarctica during September and October,2006.Their crystals were analyzed,and their ice forming processes were evaluated based on the crystals.Photos of the thin sections from two whole ice cores,and from polygonal granular superimposed ice were taken as well as corresponding stratigraphy descriptions.Vertical profiles of salinity, density and grain size were also obtained.Based on ice core structural texture,the findings include that： 1） although large and smooth ice floes were selected as the investigation sites, the ice sheet at the sampling position may be formed by rafted ice,consolidated ice ridges and second-year ice which were affected by dynamic and thermodynamic processes together subsequently.Ice formed in pure thermal growth comprises minority.The polygonal granular superimposed ice from refrozen wetted dense snow is one type of the ice in Antarctica.2） Of the all 27 ice cores,the granular,mixed granular-columnar and columnar crystals in sea ice occupy 28.7%,14.4% and 55.2%,respectively.3） The pure thermal growth ice is predominant in marginal sea ice zone;the rafted ice and consolidated ice ridges,even second-year ice and polygonal granular superimposed ice from dynamic and thermal effects were found in front of Larsen A Ice Shelf;the thermal growth ice froze in the polynyas of Larsen A,and was transferred outwards.

Upper limits for chlorophyll a changes with brine volume in sea ice during the austral spring in the Weddell Sea,Antarctica

During the winter and spring of 2006, we investigated the sea ice physics and marine biology in the northwest Weddell Sea, Antarctica aboard R/V Polarstern. We determined the texture of each ice core and 71 ice crystal thin sections from 27 ice cores. We analyzed 393 ice cores, their temperatures, 348 block density and salinity samples,and 311 chlorophyll a（Chl a） and phaeophytin samples along the cruise route during the investigation. Based on the vertical distributions of 302 groups of data for the ice porosity and Chl a content in the ice at the same position, we obtained new evidence that ice physical parameters influence the Chl a content in ice. We collected snow and ice thickness data, and established the effects of the snow and ice thickness on the Chl a blooms under the ice, as well as the relationships between the activity of ice algae cells and the brine volume in ice according to the principle of environmental control of the ecological balance. We determined the upper limits for Chl a in the brine volume of granular and columnar ice in the Antarctica, thereby demonstrating the effects of ice crystals on brine drainage, and the contributions of the physical properties of sea ice to Chl a blooms near the ice bottom and on the ice-water interface in the austral spring. Moreover, we found that the physical properties of sea ice affect ice algae and they are key control elements that modulate marine phytoplankton blooms in the ice-covered waters around Antarctica.

The physical structures of snow and sea ice in the Arctic section of 150°-180°W during the summer of 2010

The physical structures of snow and sea ice in the Arctic section of 150°-180°W were observed on the basis of snow-pit, ice-core, and drill-hole measurements from late July to late August 2010. Almost all the in- vestigated floes were first-year ice, except for one located north of Alaska, which was probably multi-year ice transported from north of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago during early summer. The snow covers over all the investigated floes were in the melting phase, with temperatures approaching 0℃and densities of 295-398 kg/m3. The snow covers can be divided into two to five layers of different textures, with most cases having a top layer of fresh snow, a round-grain layer in the middle, and slush and/or thin icing layers at the bottom. The first-year sea ice contained about 7%-17% granular ice at the top. There was no granular ice in the lower layers. The interior melting and desalination of sea ice introduced strong stratifications of temper- ature, salinity, density, and gas and brine volume fractions. The sea ice temperature exhibited linear cooling with depth, while the salinity and the density increased linearly with normalized depth from 0.2 to 0.9 and from 0 to 0.65, respectively. The top layer, especially the freeboard layer, had the lowest salinity and density, and consequently the largest gas content and the smallest brine content. Both the salinity and density in the ice basal layer were highly scattered due to large differences in ice porosity among the samples. The bulk average sea ice temperature, salinity, density, and gas and brine volume fractions were -0.8℃, 1.8, 837 kg/m3, 9.3% and 10.4%, respectively. The snow cover, sea ice bottom, and sea ice interior show evidences of melting during mid-August in the investigated floe located at about 87°N, 175°W.

Sensitivity of sea ice and ocean simulations to sea ice salinity in a coupled global climate model

The impacts of the spatiotemporal variations of sea ice salinity on sea ice and ocean characteristics have not been studied in detail, as the existing climate models neglect or misrepresent this process. To address this issue, this paper formulated a parameterization with more realistic sea ice salinity budget, and examined the sensitivity of sea ice and ocean simulations to the ice salinity variations and associated salt flux into the ocean using a coupled global climate model. Results show that the inclusion of such a parameterization leads to an increase and thickening of sea ice in the Eurasian Arctic and within the ice pack in the Antarctic circumpolar region, and a weakening of the North Atlantic Deep Water and a strengthening of the Antarctic Bottom Water. The atmospheric responses associated with the ice changes were also discussed.

大凌河口附近海冰的内部结构分析

在中高纬度水域,近海与海洋生产建设不可避免的要遭遇冰的影响,尤其在冬季。因此,认真研究海冰的基本物理性质和本构特征尤为重要。对取自大凌河口的两根海冰冰样进行分析,沿厚度连续地自上而下竖直切片,并且等间距地水平切片,在正交偏光镜下观测冰晶结构;同时测量了每个样本不同位置的密度、盐度和含泥量以及分析其孔隙率;最后探讨了这些物理量之间的关系。结果得到:冰样上层为颗粒状晶体,中下层为柱状晶体;气泡多为球形,百分含量较低;冰密度在860～930kg/m3之间,盐度随深度呈C字型变化。

南极威德尔海海冰晶体类型分析

为了解南极威德尔海不同区域海冰形成过程,分析了2006年9—10月威德尔海海冰调查中的27支冰芯晶体并描述了冰芯反映的冰层形成过程;给出2支完整冰芯晶体照片和多边形晶体雪冰照片,以及对应照片的冰层描述和冰盐度、密度、粒径。根据冰芯晶体揭示的海冰形成过程,发现尽管现场考察均选择较大表面平整的浮冰作业,但冰芯晶体揭示出实际冰层可以是受动力和热力联合作用形成的重叠冰、固结冰脊、二年冰;而从表面到底面属于纯热力学生长形成的冰层所占比例较小。积雪经过密实和水分参与,再冻结形成多边形晶体雪冰也是南极海冰主要组成之一。粒状晶体、过渡区混合晶体和柱状晶体海冰分别占27支冰芯总长度的28.7%、14.4%和55.2%。海冰的区域分布表现出海冰边缘区以纯热力学生长的一年冰为主;在冰架前缘,受动力作用形成的重叠冰和固结冰脊的比例增加,并且存在二年冰和多边形晶体雪冰;冰间湖内生长有大面积纯热力学生长的海冰并向外输送。