A tool to evaluate accessibility due to sea-ice cover: a case study of the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Issue 1 (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pehlke, Hendrik; Brey, Thomas; Konijnenberg, Rebecca; Teschke, Katharina
• Is Part Of: Antarctic science. Volume 34:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 97
• Page End: 104
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: CCAMLR -- navigability -- sampling design -- sea-ice concentration -- seasonal ice zone -- Southern Ocean; Science -- Antarctica -- Periodicals; 509.989
• DOI: 10.1017/S0954102021000523
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-1020

Abstract

Abstract: Sea ice is the major constraint on human activities in the Southern Ocean. Depending on a vessel's ice class, human mobility may be restricted or even prevented altogether by sea-ice conditions. This may imply limited access to research or monitoring stations, preferred fishing grounds or attractive tourist sites. Here, we introduce a statistical model that evaluates the sea-ice cover with two measures: 1) accessibility (i.e. the probability that a given area is navigable by vessels at a given time) and 2) repeated accessibility (i.e. the probability that a given area is navigable by vessels at a given time and again at least once within a defined timespan). We use daily sea-ice concentration data from 2002 to 2020 to demonstrate this tool and its functioning regarding the spatiotemporal variability of sea-ice cover in the wider Weddell Sea region. These findings reflect known characteristics of sea-ice distribution and dynamics in the Weddell Sea, confirming the functionality of our simple tool for determining repeated accessibility of certain areas. Such a tool may facilitate the planning of research and monitoring activities in the Southern Ocean, as well as in Arctic seas.