Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean

In spring, with the return of sunlight, melt pools begin to form and increase the rate of heat absorption from the sun.

In the summer, during constant daylight, clouds form which reflect light to the sky, but impede heat flow from the ocean.

In order to quantify these effects over a large portion of earth's area—the Arctic Ocean—required a large-scale scientific data-gathering and analysis effort over the span of a year.

[3] The scientific party traveled aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Des Groseilliers to the Arctic Ocean.

The average thickness of false bottoms was 0.2 m.[6] The experimental results allowed meaningful modeling of the seasonal heat budget processes occurring through the Arctic Ocean sea ice and atmosphere.

[1] The scientists were able to define parameters for near-surface turbulence that characterize the degree to which air movement can cool or warm the surface of the ice, seasonally.

The lidar cloud measurements and balloonsonde temperature and turbulence data allowed scientific characterization of the role of the atmosphere above the ice in promoting or inhibiting the warming or cooling of the ocean surface.