Field observations of the Bering Sea ice edge properties during March 1979.

Abstract

During March 1979 field observations in the Bering Sea show that because of the interaction of winds and ocean swell with the ice, the ice edge divides into 3 distinct zones: adjacent to the open ocean is an 'edge' zone, 1-15km in width, which consists of heavily rafted and ridged floes with thicknesses of 1-5m and measuring 10-20m on a side; a 'transition' zone measuring c5km in width, which consists of rectangular ice floes with thicknesses of c0.5m and measuring 20-40m on a side; and the 'interior' zone, which extends over hundreds of km and consists of very large, relatively flat floes with thicknesses of c0.3m. -from Authors