|
Sea ice is a defining and persistent feature of the Canadian Arctic. Growing and contracting each year, the sea ice winter extent encompasses the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from its northern coastline along the Arctic Ocean and extends thousands of kilometers southward to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Sea ice possesses different characteristics than fresh-water ice, namely, formation occurs at approximately -1.8 degrees Celsius as opposed to 0 degrees Celsius for fresh-water ice; salinity-levels is the dominant factor in differentiating the two forms of ice.
Sea ice follows a traditional cycle, beginning with its formation in late-September and continues to grow in both thickness and size till the onset of spring. Sea ice experiences the bulk of its melt between June and September, at that point the process repeats itself.
Newly formed sea ice is called first-year ice and can grow in a single-season between 1.5 to 2 meters. Multi-year sea ice, that being ice surviving more than one melt season can grow to roughly 3 meters in thickness.
Ocean currents in the Arctic
Image Credit:Philippe Rekacewicz, UNEP/GRID-Arendal
Sea ice movement within the Arctic Basin (Arctic Ocean enclosed by Eurasia, Greenland and North America) is affected by wind and ocean currents (foremost the Beaufort Gyre and the Transpolar Drift). Typically, sea ice will be transported across the entire Arctic Basin within a maximum of a ten-year period and exit with the assistance of the East Greenland Current.
|
