Observations of supercooling and frazil ice formation in the Laptev Sea coastal polynya

Abstract

This paper examines a hydrographic response to the wind-driven coastal polynya activity over the southeastern Laptev Sea shelf for April–May 2008, using a combination of Environmental Satellite (Envisat) advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) and TerraSAR-X satellite imagery, aerial photography, meteorological data, and SBE-37 salinity-temperature-depth and acoustic Doppler current profiler land-fast ice edge-moored instruments. When ASAR observed the strongest end-of-April polynya event with frazil ice formation, the moored instruments showed maximal acoustical scattering within the surface mixed layer, and the seawater temperatures were either at or 0.02°C below freezing. We also find evidence of the persistent horizontal temperature and salinity gradients across the fast ice edge to have the signature of geostrophic flow adjustment as predicted by polynya models.