Research objectives and scientific questions addressed by the project

The loss of the Arctic Ocean sea ice is both effect and cause of accelerated climate change. The deformation of the sea ice cover leads to changes in the albedo coefficient and thickness of sea ice, which controls the exchange of heat, moisture and momentum between the ocean and the atmosphere. The change in sea ice parameters is influenced by many factors, and their intensity and frequency of occurrence is closely related to the study area. Therefore, in order to recognize, better understand and predict future changes in the Arctic, important is to carry out analyzes based on historical observations of sea ice variability, to study seasonal trends in different region, and to comprehend the links to oceanic and atmospheric variability and the interactions between ocean, atmosphere and sea ice.

The main objective of the proposed research is to determine causes and mechanisms responsible for significant changes in the concentration and extent of sea ice in Fram Strait and the southern part of the Nansen Basin (north of Svalbard) observed in the recent two decades. Detailed understanding of these mechanisms is still one of the most difficult questions, related to accelerated climate change in the Arctic region, mainly occurring in the loss of sea ice. Systematic shrinking and thinning of sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean is both an effect and a cause of accelerated climate changes in the Arctic region observed in the last decades. Due to the complex feedback mechanisms between sea ice, ocean and atmosphere in the Arctic, the main question about relative roles of ocean and atmosphere in the observed decrease of sea ice cover remains still open. Warm and salty oceanic water masses from the North Atlantic flow towards the Arctic Ocean along the eastern Fram Strait, carried by the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC). Fram Strait, as well as the region north of Svalbard, play a key role in controlling the amount of oceanic heat supplied to the Arctic Ocean and are the place of dynamic interaction between the ocean and sea ice. The north of Svalbard area is one of the regions where the substantial changes in sea ice concentrations are observed both in summer and in winter. To better understand and predict future changes in the Arctic, it is necessary to examine available historical observations of sea ice variability and understand their seasonal trends and links to oceanic variability and ocean-atmosphere-sea ice interactions.