Interdisciplinary Seminar: Si Chen

“The Thickness Distribution of Sea Ice” In recent years, great interest has developed in the changes in Arctic sea ice as ice extent and volume have markedly decreased. Apart from ice concentration and ice extent, thickness is one of the most important sea ice properties and is subject to a number of complex processes, such as growth, melting, ridging, rafting, and the formation of open water. In my presentation, I will first introduce some basic aspects of the sea ice, particularly processes contributing to the sea ice thickness. Then three important theories of sea ice thickness distribution will be presented. They are trying to capture the features of thickness distribution of sea ice and to understand how the thickness distribution changes in response to thermodynamic and dynamic forcing. Measurement techniques of ice thickness will be briefly discussed. And finally I will talk about biogeochemical influences of sea ice thickness.