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. (T. Wyllie-Echeverria, 1995).
Data links:
- NASA GSFC Ice Altimetry (Altimetry data)
- MODIS Snow and Sea Ice Global Mapping Project (NASA/GSFC)
- Sea Ice Visualizations (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 MMAB Sea Ice Home Page (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)
- Snow and Ice Cover Statistics (NASA-NEESPI)
- SMMR Sea Ice Concentration (1978-1987: National Snow and Ice Data Center)
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 Abstract Search Engine: