Geology topics

G. I. Belchansky

Publications and source records attributed to G. I. Belchansky.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2005

Variations in the Arctic's multiyear sea ice cover: A neural network analysis of SMMR-SSM/I data, 1979-2004

A 26-year (1979-2004) observational record of January multiyear sea ice distributions, derived from neural network analysis of SMMR-SSM/I passive microwave satellite data, reveals dense and persistent cover in the central Arctic basin surrounded by expansive regions of highly fluctuating interannual cover. Following a decade of quasi equilibrium, precipitous declines in multiyear ice area commenced in 1989 when the Arctic Oscillation shifted to a pronounced positive phase. Although extensive survival of first-year ice during autumn 1996 fully replenished the area of multiyear ice, a subsequent and accelerated decline returned the depletion to record lows. The most dramatic multiyear sea ice declines occurred in the East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas.

Geophysical Research Letters↗

USGS2005

Polar climate: Arctic sea ice

Recent decreases in snow and sea ice cover in the high northern latitudes are among the most notable indicators of climate change. Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent for the year as a whole was the third lowest on record dating back to 1973, behind 1995 (lowest) and 1990 (second lowest; Hadley Center–NCEP). September sea ice extent, which is at the end of the summer melt season and is typically the month with the lowest sea ice extent of the year, has decreased by about 19% since the late 1970s (Fig. 5.2), with a record minimum observed in 2002 (Serreze et al. 2003). A record low extent also occurred in spring (Chapman 2005, personal communication), and 2004 marked the third consecutive year of anomalously extreme sea ice retreat in the Arctic (Stroeve et al. 2005). Some model simulations indicate that ice-free summers will occur in the Arctic by the year 2070 (ACIA 2004).

Arctic↗

USGS1999

Comparative analysis of multisensor satellite monitoring of Arctic sea-ice

This report represents comparative analysis of nearly coincident Russian OKEAN-01 polar orbiting satellite data, Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery. OKEAN-01 ice concentration algorithms utilize active and passive microwave measurements and a linear mixture model for measured values of the brightness temperature and the radar backscatter. SSM/I and AVHRR ice concentrations were computed with NASA Team algorithm and visible and thermal-infrared wavelength AVHRR data, accordingly

Book↗

USGS1996

Assessing variability and trends in Arctic sea ice distribution using satellite data

Trends in the annual minimum, minimum monthly-mean, and the sea ice extent at the end of August were investigated for the Barents and western Kara Seas and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean during 1966 to 1994 using data from Russian ice maps (1974-1994), Kosmos-Okean and ALMAZ SAR satellite series (1984-1994), and published literature. Four definitions of sea ice extent were examined based on thresholds of ice concentration: >90%, >70%, >40% and >10% (E1, E2, E3, and E4, respectively). Root-mean-square differences between sea ice maps and satellite-image sea ice classifications for coincident areas were subjected to Monte-Carlo analyses to construct confidence intervals for the 20-year ice-map trends. With probability p=0.8, the average 20-year change in the minimum monthly-mean sea ice extent (followed in brackets by the average change in the absolute annual minimum ice extent) was between 30-60% [19-71%], 29-61% [15-67%], 31-63%[18-69%] and 18-48% [7-55%] in the Barents sea; (-24)-(-4)% [(-25)-(12)%], (-27)-(-9)% [(-34)-(-4)%], (-32)-(-15)% [(-39)-(-9)%] and (-33)-(-15)%[(-38)-(-8)%] in the western Kara sea; and (-3)-19% [(-8)-29%], (-4)-18% [(-11)-26%,] (-6)-16% [(-11)(-24)%] and (-7)-15% [(-12)-24%] in the combined Barents and Kara Seas, for sea ice concentration E1-E4, respectively. Including published data from 1966-1983, the trend in minimum monthly-mean sea ice extent for the combined 30-year period showed an average increasing of 11.8% in the Barents Sea and of 47.4% reduction in the western Kara Sea; sea ice extent at the end of August showed an average reduction of 4.7% in the Barents Sea.

Conference Paper↗