Ice-floe kinematics in the Ross Sea marginal ice zone using GPS and accelerometers

Abstract

An experiment to investigate wave-induced floe response and floe-floe interactions was conducted in the Ross Sea marginal ice zone during austral summer 1999. Three types of sensors were used: global positioning system (GPS) receivers; triaxial accelerometers; and compasses. The accelerometer data reveal consistent bands of energy centred at about 0.1 and 1.35 Hz, the latter an unexplained but common feature of such experiments. The GPS data also contain energy near 0.1 Hz, which may suggest that GPS receivers can detect the ocean-wave-induced lateral motion of ice floes.