The attenuation of ocean surface waves during seasonal ice cover is an important control on the evolution of Arctic coastlines. The spatial and temporal variations in this process have been challenging to resolve with conventional sampling using sparse arrays of moorings or buoys. We demonstrate a novel method for persistent observation of wave‐ice interactions using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) along existing seafloor fiber optic telecommunications cables. DAS measurements span a 36‐km cross‐shore cable on the Beaufort Shelf from Oliktok Point, Alaska. DAS optical sensing of fiber strain‐rate provides a proxy for seafloor pressure, which we calibrate with wave buoy measurements during the ice‐free season (August 2022). We apply this calibration during the ice formation season (November 2021) to obtain unprecedented resolution of variable wave attenuation rates in new, partial ice cover. The location and strength of wave attenuation serve as proxies for ice coverage and thickness, especially during rapidly evolving events.
Smith, Madison M., et al. "Observations of Ocean Surface Wave Attenuation in Sea Ice Using Seafloor Cables." Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 50, no. 20, Oct. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105243
Smith, Madison M., Thomson, Jim, Baker, Michael G., Abbott, Robert E., & Davis, Jake (2023). Observations of Ocean Surface Wave Attenuation in Sea Ice Using Seafloor Cables. Geophysical Research Letters, 50(20). https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105243
Smith, Madison M., Thomson, Jim, Baker, Michael G., et al., "Observations of Ocean Surface Wave Attenuation in Sea Ice Using Seafloor Cables," Geophysical Research Letters 50, no. 20 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105243
@article{osti_2202340,
author = {Smith, Madison M. and Thomson, Jim and Baker, Michael G. and Abbott, Robert E. and Davis, Jake},
title = {Observations of Ocean Surface Wave Attenuation in Sea Ice Using Seafloor Cables},
annote = {Abstract The attenuation of ocean surface waves during seasonal ice cover is an important control on the evolution of Arctic coastlines. The spatial and temporal variations in this process have been challenging to resolve with conventional sampling using sparse arrays of moorings or buoys. We demonstrate a novel method for persistent observation of wave‐ice interactions using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) along existing seafloor fiber optic telecommunications cables. DAS measurements span a 36‐km cross‐shore cable on the Beaufort Shelf from Oliktok Point, Alaska. DAS optical sensing of fiber strain‐rate provides a proxy for seafloor pressure, which we calibrate with wave buoy measurements during the ice‐free season (August 2022). We apply this calibration during the ice formation season (November 2021) to obtain unprecedented resolution of variable wave attenuation rates in new, partial ice cover. The location and strength of wave attenuation serve as proxies for ice coverage and thickness, especially during rapidly evolving events.},
doi = {10.1029/2023GL105243},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2202340},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
issn = {ISSN 0094-8276},
number = {20},
volume = {50},
place = {United States},
publisher = {American Geophysical Union (AGU)},
year = {2023},
month = {10}}
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 380, Issue 2235https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2021.0251
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 380, Issue 2235https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2021.0256