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Huge waves measured for first time in Arctic Ocean | UW Today
His data show that winds in mid-September 2012 created waves of 5 meters (16 feet) high during the peak of the storm. The research also traces the sources of those big waves: high winds, which have always howled through the Arctic, combined with the new reality of open water in summer.
Satellites can give a rough estimate of wave heights, but they dont give precise numbers for storm events. They also dont do well for the sloppy, partially ice-covered waters that are common in the Arctic in summer.
Warming temperatures and bigger waves could act together on summer ice floes, Thomson said: At this point, we dont really know relative importance of these processes in future scenarios.
Establishing that relationship could help to predict what will happen to the sea ice in the future and help forecast how long the ice-free channel will remain open each year.
The mechanical action of the waves on the remaining ice will break the ice into small peices with more surface area for the warming seas to act on. Plus, these waves also create pressure waves on the bottom, and could be a factor in clathrate release of methane.
His data show that winds in mid-September 2012 created waves of 5 meters (16 feet) high during the peak of the storm. The research also traces the sources of those big waves: high winds, which have always howled through the Arctic, combined with the new reality of open water in summer.
Satellites can give a rough estimate of wave heights, but they dont give precise numbers for storm events. They also dont do well for the sloppy, partially ice-covered waters that are common in the Arctic in summer.
Warming temperatures and bigger waves could act together on summer ice floes, Thomson said: At this point, we dont really know relative importance of these processes in future scenarios.
Establishing that relationship could help to predict what will happen to the sea ice in the future and help forecast how long the ice-free channel will remain open each year.
The mechanical action of the waves on the remaining ice will break the ice into small peices with more surface area for the warming seas to act on. Plus, these waves also create pressure waves on the bottom, and could be a factor in clathrate release of methane.