Changes in Sea Ice Influence our Planet

Sea ice influences the entire Earth, especially as regards world climate and thermal balance in the sea. Ice-covered oceans reflect much heat back into the atmosphere (the albedo effect). However, thermal emission increases from oceans and reflection decreases If there is little sea ice coverage.
Sea ice changes also influences our lives. There is the possibility that sea ice could become an obstacle to safe ocean navigation and could damage vessels. It is necessary for us to have a full understanding of sea ice conditions constantly in order to decide optimum route for vessels with regards to safety and to prevent accidents.
The influences of sea ice change that affect the earth’s atmosphere and oceans differs day by day and year by year, so a grasp of the sea ice conditions is essential to fully understand the environment.

Sea Ice is Strongly Influenced by Wind

We know from satellite imagery that sea ice moves day by day. This movement is strongly influenced by wind. The more influence the wind asserts on the ice, the faster it moves. The Labrador Current, the Bering current and the Okhotsk current all move actively due to the force of the wind. Sea ice moves clock-wise, or parallel to isobars.

Arctic Sea Ice is Changing Drastically

Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is drastically changing, on a level that past knowledge and experience does not apply to. The amount of sea ice recorded this year was the second smallest amount, second only to last year. The large reduction in multi-layer ice and extrensive development of first-year ice in 2007 spurred this rapid melting. The thinner sea ice is, the faster it moves. The sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is comparable to that in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea at present, in that it is easily influenced by wind.

Sea ice is changing on many scales. It is our hope to increase the knowledge base regarding sea ice in the Polar Regions with various experts in the field, as well as interested members of the general public.