Estimating the sea ice floe size distribution using satellite altimetry: theory, climatology, and model comparison

摘要: Abstract. In sea-ice-covered areas, the sea ice floe size distribution (FSD) plays an important role in many processes affecting coupled sea–ice–ocean–atmosphere system. Observations of FSD are sparse – traditionally taken via a painstaking analysis surface photography and seasonal inter-annual evolution regionally globally is largely unknown. Frequently, measured FSDs assessed using single number, scaling exponent closest power-law fit to observed data, although absence adequate datasets there have been limited tests this “power-law hypothesis”. Here we derive explain mathematical technique for deriving statistics from polar-orbiting altimeters, satellites with sub-daily return times polar regions high along-track resolutions. Applied CryoSat-2 radar altimetric record, covering period 2010 2018, incorporating 11 million individual samples, produce first pan-Arctic climatology cycle statistics. We then perform test hypothesis, finding support range sizes typically analyzed photographic observational studies. compare variability fully climate model simulations including prognostic thickness wave model, good agreement where modeled ocean waves cause fracture.