Atmospheric Wave Linked to Sea Ice Flow Near Greenland, Study Finds

A NASA researcher finds that the amount of sea ice that moves between Greenland and Spitsbergen, a group of islands north of Norway, is dependent upon a "wave" of atmospheric pressure at sea level. By being able to estimate how much sea ice is exported through this region, called Fram Strait, scientists may develop further insights into how the ice impacts global climate.

This export of sea ice helps control the thermohaline circulation, a deep water ocean conveyor belt that moves warm, salty water poleward and cold, fresh water toward the equator. The thermohaline circulation is one of the primary mechanisms that maintains the global heat balance.

Don Cavalieri, a researcher at Goddard discovered a link between the transport of sea ice through this region and the position or phase of the longest sea level pressure wave circling the Earth at polar latitudes.

Until now, scientists have had inconsistent results when trying to identify the mechanism behind this transport of sea ice. The North Atlantic Oscillation, in particular, was unable to explain the changes in sea ice transport through Fram Strait.

For more on the sea ice flow study, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20020807seaice.html