Increasing transnational sea‐ice exchange in a changing Arctic Ocean
(2017) Earth’s Future — Vol. 5, n° 6, p. 633-647 (2017)
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- Authors
Newton, Robert 
Derepentigny, Patricia
- Abstract
- The changing Arctic sea-ice cover is likely to impact the trans-border exchange of sea ice between the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Arctic nations, affecting the risk of ice-rafted contamination. We apply the Lagrangian Ice Tracking System (LITS) to identify sea-ice formation events and track sea ice to its melt locations. Most ice (52%) melts within 100 km of where it is formed; ca. 21% escapes from its EEZ. Thus, most contaminants will be released within an ice parcel's originating EEZ, while material carried by over 1 00,000 km2 of ice—an area larger than France and Germany combined—will be released to other nations' waters. Between the periods 1988–1999 and 2000–2014, sea-ice formation increased by ∼17% (roughly 6 million km2 vs. 5 million km2 annually). Melting peaks earlier; freeze-up begins later; and the central Arctic Ocean is more prominent in both formation and melt in the later period. The total area of ice transported between EEZs increased, while transit times decreased: for example, Russian ice reached melt locations in other nations' EEZs an average of 46% faster while North American ice reached destinations in Eurasian waters an average of 37% faster. Increased trans-border exchange is mainly a result of increased speed (∼14% per decade), allowing first-year ice to escape the summer melt front, even as the front extends further north. Increased trans-border exchange over shorter times is bringing the EEZs of the Arctic nations closer together, which should be taken into account in policy development—including establishment of marine-protected areas.
- Affiliations
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University Barnard College McGill University
Citations
Newton, R., Pfirman, S., Tremblay, B., & Derepentigny, P. (2017). Increasing transnational sea‐ice exchange in a changing Arctic Ocean. Earth’s Future, 5(6), 633-647. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016ef000500 (Original work published 2017)