Sea Ice occurs seasonally in the North Pacific Ocean. Sea ice suppresses the energy dynamics between ocean and atmosphere. The continuous motion of the ice pack, forced by wind and water stresses, leads to the formation of cracks, pressure ridges, and polynya (areas of open water in the ice). Ice cover affects the distribution of benthic and pelagic species inhabiting the Bering sea shelf (Wyllie Echeverria, 1995).
Data links:
- NASA GSFC Ice Altimetry (Altimetry data)
- NASA Oceans and Ice Branch (NASA/GSFC)
- National Weather Service Alaska Region (Real Time Data & Forecasts/ Maps: Sea ice and ice edge analysis by region)
- National Ice Center (Real Time & Recent Data/ Maps: The West Arctic page - go to Areas - includes ice maps and data for the Bering and Okhotsk Seas)
- National Snow and Ice Center (1901 - Present / Sea Ice Data Sets: includes ice concentration, drift, and etc.)
- NCEP OMB Sea Home Page OMB (Real Time & Recent Data/ Maps: Includes sea ice daily analyses for the Alaska region and Northern Hemisphere, as well as models and forecasts)
- NOAA - Arctic Theme Page (Data, essays, maps and photographs)
- SMMR Sea Ice Concentration (1978-1987: NASA/GSFC)
Educational links:
- Composite SAR/AVHRR Images of the St. Lawrence Island polynya
- Everything you wanted to know about ice but were afraid to ask (NASA/JPL)
- Polar Ice (NASA)
- St. Lawrence Island Polynya (University of Washington)
PMEL Publications relating to Sea Ice:
Listed below are direct links to abstracts of PMEL articles relating to salinity beginning 1968 to the present, using PMEL's Publication Information Search Engine: