The Use of RGPS Kinematic Data to Estimate Nonlinear Sea Ice Motion

In current simulations of the interaction between sea ice and its environment, large significance is placed on the deformation of the sea ice. Sea ice deformation is an important process in determining the sea ice thickness distribution across a wide range of space and time scales. Changes in the sea ice thickness distribution affect energy and mass fluxes between the atmosphere and ocean and also the strength of the ice. While most current ice models assume linear variation in the ice motion field to calculate strain, deformation of sea ice occurs through the opening, closing and shearing of ice along discrete linear features. New numerical models are being developed which explicitly account for discontinuities in ice motion, and the need for requisite data sets for model validation has emerged. Multiple buoy data sets, as well as satellite data, have been used to examine the movement and deformation of sea ice. Generally it has been found that the ice motion field has been represented well by buoy data, as well as satellite data over a broad range of scales. However, the underlying deformation (spatial variation in displacement) as represented by different data sets may vary. For the work presented here, sea ice motion In current simulations of the interaction between sea ice and its environment, large significance is placed on the deformation of the sea ice. Sea ice deformation is an important process in determining the sea ice thickness distribution across a wide range of space and time scales. Changes in the sea ice thickness distribution affect energy and mass fluxes between the atmosphere and ocean and also the strength of the ice. While most current ice models assume linear variation in the ice motion field to calculate strain, deformation of sea ice occurs through the opening, closing and shearing of ice along discrete linear features. New numerical models are being developed which explicitly account for discontinuities in ice motion, and the need for requisite data sets for model validation has emerged. Multiple buoy data sets, as well as satellite data, have been used to examine the movement and deformation of sea ice. Generally it has been found that the ice motion field has been represented well by buoy data, as well as satellite data over a broad range of scales. However, the underlying deformation (spatial variation in displacement) as represented by different data sets may vary. For the work presented here, sea ice motio