Sea ice velocity in the Fram Strait monitored by moored instruments

Abstract

The Fram Strait Sea ice velocity was measured by means of a new method using moored Doppler Current Meters in the period 1996-2000. Almost 3 years of ice velocity observations near 79°N 5°W are analyzed. The average southward ice velocity was 0.16 m/s. The correlation between the ice velocity and the cross-strait sea level pressure (SLP) difference was R = 0.76 for daily means and R = 0.79 for monthly means. The same cross-strait SLP difference exhibits a positive trend since 1950 of 10% of the mean per decade. By a simple linear model we compute mean sea ice area flux to 850 000 km2/year for the period 1950-2000. Ice thickness, monitored by means of Upward Looking Sonars since 1990, is also discussed. The combined data gave a monthly ice volume flux of 200 km3 during the last decade with no significant trend.