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Name: | sea ice thickness |
Acronym: | |
Description: | Sea ice thickness is an important climate-related variable whose determination from satellite measurements is still an unsolved problem. While ice concentration is often used as a marker for climate change, the more important variable is sea ice volume which can be determined by multiplying concentration with thickness and integrating over the ocean surface. Sea ice thickness determines a number of important fluxes such as heat flux between the air and ocean surface—see below—as well as salt and fresh water fluxes between the ocean since saline water ejects much of its salt content when frozen—see sea ice growth processes. It is also important for navigators on icebreakers since there is an upper limit to the thickness of ice any ship can sail through. |
Type: | Noun |
Term is: | Variable | Term has: | | |