Snow on sea ice

Abstract

The overlying snow cover on sea ice has a profound influence on what lies below. Being both highly optically reflective and thermally insulating, the snow influences the rate and timing with which the sea ice grows and melts seasonally. The shade introduced by the snow radically reduces the light intensity in and under the ice, affecting which organisms can survive there and how active they can be. As a low-density mixture of ice and air, it absorbs and scatters electromagnetic microwaves, complicating remote-sensing estimates of sea ice properties. Finally, the snow’s distinctive mechanical properties influence how humans live, work and travel on the ice.