On the Variability of the Ice Conditions of the Chukchi Sea and its Relationship to the Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation

摘要

A methodology for the reconstruction of missing values is developed and an archive of ice information (ice coverage) for the Chukchi Sea is created. A statistical analysis of the glaciation series demonstrates that there were no noticeable changes in the ice regime over the 1950-2002 period considered here. Certain changes in the nature of the development of the ice cover within the season were noted, in particular, a shift in the onset of the active period of break-up of the ice from June to July, a successive increase in the rate of ice break-up to September, and a substantial slow-down in the rate of ice formation from September to December. From a spectral analysis of the coefficients of the decomposition of the ice compaction fields using empirical orthogonal functions, the existence of 3- and 7-8-year quasi periodic components in the multi-year evolution of the ice conditions of the Chukchi Sea was proposed. A combined analysis of the different types of arctic oscillations and types of ice characteristics did not reveal the presence of statistically significant correlations between these factors.