Cyclones over Fram Strait: impact on sea ice and variability

Abstract

The relation between sea ice drift and cyclone activity in the Fram Strait region was studied by both in situ observations and long-term time series. In a 1999 field campaign, the atmospheric forcing and the ice drift were determined using a research aircraft and drifting ice buoys. One cyclone entered the experimental area and caused a temporal increase in ice drift speed. Long-term studies are based on 16 years of cyclone statistics and model, satellite and sonar ice drift estimates. The actual impact of a cyclone depends on its particular track through Fram Strait. On the average, cyclones increase the Arctic ice export through Fram Strait.