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First observations of the interaction of ocean swell with sea ice using satellite radar altimeter data

Nature volume 307, pages 150–152 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

The action of ocean waves and swell on sea ice in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) controls the size distribution of ice floes and thus affects ice dynamics and the thermodynamics of ice growth and decay. An understanding of ice processes is important because of the influence of the sea-ice cover on high latitude weather and global climate1. Also, long-term changes in average sea ice extent could provide a sensitive indication of climatic change if the degree of shorter term variability were better understood2. Previous observations of the propagation of swell within the ice pack have been limited in spatial and temporal extent3–6. Here we present new results from the US Seasat satellite which suggest that radar altimetry can provide a powerful means of global synoptic monitoring of the interaction between ocean and ice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe de Recherche de Géodésie Spatiale, 18 Avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse Cedex, 31055, France

    C. G. Rapley

  2. Milliard Space Science Laboratory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK

    C. G. Rapley

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  1. C. G. Rapley
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Rapley, C. First observations of the interaction of ocean swell with sea ice using satellite radar altimeter data. Nature 307, 150–152 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/307150a0

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