Estimation of Sea Ice Production in the North Water Polynya Based on Ice Arch Duration in Winter During 2006–2019

The North Water Polynya (NOW) is the largest recurrent Arctic coastal polynya. The formation of the NOW is critically dependent on the development of an ice arch that defines its northern boundary. In this study, high-resolution ENVISAT Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar data, Sentinel-1A data, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data were employed to identify the spatio-temporal characteristics of the ice arch during 2006–2019. Polynya pixels were identified based on the thin ice thickness (TIT), using a threshold of TIT <0.2 m, from which the polynya extent, heat flux, and ice production (IP) were estimated. The results show the different locations of the ice arch in different years, with a mean duration of 132 ± 69 days. The average annual polynya extent over the 14 years is ∼38.8 ± 8 × 103 km2, and we found that it is more closely correlated with wind speed during the winter and air temperature during early spring. The average heat flux drops from about 248 W/m2 in the winter months to about 34 W/m2 in May. The average accumulated IP varies significantly every year, with an average of 144 ± 103 km3, and peak values in March in most years. No apparent interannual trends are shown for the polynya area, heat flux, and IP during 2006–2019. The results also show that IP calculated based on the ice arch data is approximately 25% lower than that obtained by assuming a fixed time, location, and duration for the polynya.