FLUX OF MULTI-YEAR ICE PAST THE MOLIKPAQ IN THE BEAUFORT SEA, 1985-86 SEASON

摘要

As part of the environmental monitoring program that supported drilling operations from thernMolikpaq at the Amauligak I-65 location during the winter of 1985-86, information about the icernconditions and movements round the structure were collected on an hourly basis. Thesernobservations included ice thickness, ice type, partial concentrations, floe sizes and drift rate andrndirection. In this paper the data were used to assess the flux of ice passing a fixed location. Ofrnparticular interest was the amount of multi-year ice present and the relative exposure of thernMolikpaq to multi-year ice interactions. In addition to the hourly ice observations, which werernrepresentative of a zone within a several km radius of the Molikpaq, detailed observations andrnvideo records of ice interactions with the structure were also made. Monthly Canadian IcernService regional ice charts and drift buoys provided regional data. The various sources of ice datarnare compared to put the 1985-86 data into a broader context. The total flux of ice through the 2rnkm radius zone of observation was about 1000 km over the 240 day observation period, of whichrn30 km was multi-year ice. The flux of multi-year ice that actually interacted with the 100 m widernMolikpaq was about 10 km, the majority of which was second-year ice in November.