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Abstract:
The Shelf Seas of the Arctic are known for their large
sea-ice production. This paper presents a comprehensive
view of the Kara Sea sea-ice cover from high-resolution
numerical modeling and space-borne microwave radiometry.
As given by the latter the average polynya area in the
Kara Sea takes a value of 21.2 x 10³ km² ± 9.1 x 10³ km²
for winters (Jan.–Apr.) 1996/97 to 2000/01, being as high
as 32.0 x 10³km² in 1999/2000 and below 12 x 10³ km² in
1998/99. Day-to-day variations of the Kara Sea polynya
area can be as high as 50 x 10³ km². For the seasons 1996/
97 to 2000/01 the modeled cumulative winter ice-volume
flux out of the Kara Sea varied between 100 km³a¹ and
350 km³a¹. Modeled high (low) ice export coincides with a
high (low) average and cumulative polynya area, and with a
low (high) sea-ice compactness in the Kara Sea from remote
sensing data, and with a high (low) sea-ice drift speed across its northern boundary derived from independent model data for the winters 1996/97 to 2000/01
