Funds are provided to collect new data concerning sea ice deformation by deploying a GPS/Argos buoy array centered on an active lead/ridge system. An active lead system near an ice camp will be identified using synthetic aperture radar data before the buoy array is deployed. The array is designed and the data will be interpreted such that the assumptions in a new constitutive equation can be tested. The array will also be able to test the assumptions used for developing other constitutive equations in other ice models.
An important parameter characterizing the arctic climate system is sea ice thickness. The distribution of sea ice thickness depends on the sea ice deformation field - as small parcels of ice spread apart, open water and new thin ice are formed, while ridges form when these parcels of ice push together. Incorporating these processes accurately into models becomes increasingly important as the grid size used in the models diminishes in scale. This project will improve our understanding of these important processes and provide data sets necessary to test various approaches to modeling them.
