. 24/7 Space News .
ICE WORLD
Dynamics behind the remarkable August 2018 Greenland polynya formation
by Staff Writers
Beijing, China (SPX) Sep 14, 2021

A remarkable polynya occurred north of Greenland during August 2018.

A polynya is a region of open water that is surrounded by sea ice. These areas fluctuate throughout seasons, and weather events can influence their size and development. Extremely high wind in February 2018 led to a polynya that developed in the Wandel Sea off the coast of Greenland.

Climatologists have never observed such a pronounced polynya since the beginning of the satellite era. Then, six months later, in August 2018, a polynya appeared again. A team of scientists, wanting to learn more about this unusual event, applied a comprehensive dataset to investigate the effects of atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean on the August polynya formation.

"We found that the thinnest sea ice cover in August since 1978 and the modest southerly wind were responsible for the formation and maintenance of this polynya." said leading author Prof. Chang-Qing Ke. with Nanjing University."Sea ice drift patterns have become more responsive to atmospheric forcing due to thinning of sea ice cover with climate change."

Prof. Ke, alongside several other polynya researchers published their full results in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. The study suggests that the regional wind has a profound influence on Arctic polynyas. Likewise, high wind played an essential role in the February polynya formation.

However, during the summer, thermodynamic effects are also critical to polynya formation. Understanding and predicting Arctic polynya formation requires more precise knowledge of both the dynamic (e.g., wind-induced sea ice drift) and thermodynamic (e.g., upwell heat) processes during polynya development.

This is a challenging task because Arctic regions are remote and lack plentiful surface observations. Scientists are mostly limited to applied satellite or model data. For further research, more in-situ satellite data is needed for detailed investigations into summer polynyas. This additional data should help better predict the thermodynamic effects on the time of opening and extent of the polynyas.

Research Report: "Thinner Sea Ice Contribution to the Remarkable Polynya Formation North of Greenland in August 2018"


Related Links
Institute Of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy Of Sciences
Beyond the Ice Age


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


ICE WORLD
Biden admin. moves to block controversial Alaska gold mine
Washington (AFP) Sept 10, 2021
US authorities on Thursday said they intend to re-establish environmental protections to a bay in Alaska that would block a controversial gold and copper mine project. The Bristol Bay watershed "is an Alaskan treasure that underscores the critical value of clean water in America," said Environmental Protection Agency chief Michael Regan. "What's at stake is preventing pollution that would disproportionately impact Alaska Natives, and protecting a sustainable future for the most productive salmon ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ICE WORLD
Space Babes

Safeguarding clean water for spaceflight missions

Astronauts smell smoke, burning on Russia's ISS module

Cosmonaut calls 1st approach to Nauka Module during spacewalk from ISS 'Historic Moment'

ICE WORLD
DLR agrees cooperation with Spanish start-up Pangea Aerospace

Winds delay South Australian launch attempt

Space industry grapples with COVID-19-related oxygen fuel shortage

ESA Council agrees resolution on Ariane 6 and Vega-C exploitation and future space transportation

ICE WORLD
NASA Mars mission begins a new chapter of science with a new leader

Buttes on Mars may serve as radiation shelters

China develops prototype Mars helicopter

NASA's Perseverance rover collects first rock sample

ICE WORLD
Space exploration priority of nation's sci-tech agenda

New extravehicular pump ensures stable operation of China's space station

Chinese astronauts out of spacecraft for second time EVA

China's astronauts make spacewalk to upgrade robotic arm

ICE WORLD
Adaptable optical communications to facilitate future low-earth orbit networks

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites into orbit from West Coast

China launches Zhongxing-9B satellite

Hughes and OneWeb announce agreements for low earth Orbit satellite service in US and India

ICE WORLD
Now we're cooking with lasers

Scientists explore method to produce composites with 'shape memory'

TPY-4 Radar earns official US Government Designation

Global computing's carbon footprint is bigger than previously estimated

ICE WORLD
The first cells might have used temperature to divide

Cold planets exist throughout our Galaxy, even in the Galactic bulge

New class of habitable exoplanets are 'a big step forward' in the search for life

Did nature or nurture shape the Milky Way's most common planets

ICE WORLD
A few steps closer to Europa: spacecraft hardware makes headway

Juno joins Japan's Hisaki satellite and Keck Observatory to solve "energy crisis" on Jupiter

Hubble finds first evidence of water vapor on Ganymede

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for the Europa Clipper Mission









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.