Abstract
Despite extensive submarine operations in the Arctic, little is yet known about the three-dimensional morphology of the ice underside. Several studies have been done using upward-looking sonar1–7, which yields a linear profile of ice draft from which the distributions of features such as pressure ridges and leads may be derived. Such a profile gives no information about the spatial morphology or appearance of the ice bottom surface. In contrast, the upper ice surface has been well documented from airborne and satellite-borne sensors such as synthetic aperture radar, passive microwave, infrared and visual imaging. Here I report the first extensive set of imagery of the underside of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Sidescan sonar images show a distinct difference between the appearance of first-year ice and of multi-year ice. First-year ice has a smooth bottom except for a network of cracks, while multi-year ice is covered with an array of blisters or bulges. The clear discrimination between ice types enables sidescan sonar to be used as a means of validating airborne passive microwave data.
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Wadhams, P. The underside of Arctic sea ice imaged by sidescan sonar. Nature 333, 161–164 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/333161a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/333161a0
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