A dissertation author at St Petersburg University proposes a new method of calculating ice thickness to help select optimal shipping routes
The global climatic changes taking place on our planet are a factor that has a significant impact on all spheres of human activity. The most important indicator of these changes is the state of the ice cover of the Arctic seas. The description of key factors of seasonal changes in its structure, and the determination of the boundary of ice of different age prevalent in water areas are of great practical importance.
Elizaveta Egorova, a dissertation author at St Petersburg University, proposed a method for estimating the thickness of the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea ice cover under conditions of climate change.
The study "Ice conditions in the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea under changing climate" was carried out as part of Elizaveta Egorova’s dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Geography at St Petersburg University.
The climate changes we are currently experiencing affect the entire planet. However, they are most noticeable in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, where the average temperature of the surface layer of the atmosphere is increasing 2.5 times faster than in other zones. The Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea occupy a special place in the Northern Hemisphere climate system: here the increase in air temperature is accompanied by a decrease in the area and average thickness of sea ice throughout the year.
In ice navigation conditions, knowledge of sea ice thickness is of great practical importance for both non-ice and ice class vessels. Its physical properties depend directly on the thickness of the ice cover, so information on the spatial distribution of the ice affects the choice of optimal navigation routes.
Elizaveta Egorova’s candidate’s dissertation addresses the important scientific and practical problem of studying the spatial and temporal regularities of changes in the state of the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea ice cover. The method of calculating the thickness of the ice cover in the Fram Strait proposed in the study can be applied to other areas where ice exchange is one of the characteristics determining the ice conditions of water bodies.
Elizaveta Egorova did a lot of work on the processing of the initial data: she prepared digital data on the position of the ice edge and the ice boundary of different ages, and calculated the areas of ice of different ages in the environment of the geographical information system. As a result, electronic arrays of ice boundaries and areas of ice of different ages in the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea were obtained for the first time.
Evgeny Uvarov, Research Supervisor of the dissertation author, Chief Research Associate and Head of the Sea Ice Regime and Forecasts Department at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), Doctor of Geography
Today, climate models are being improved on the basis of the achievements of fundamental science. This information is important not only for the passage of ships, but also for the development of mineral deposits on the Arctic shelf. In this context, the study ‘Ice conditions in the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea under changing climate’ is particularly relevant and much in demand. "The results obtained will be used in future to develop new methods of ice forecasting," said Elizaveta Egorova.
Elizaveta Egorova also noted the peculiarities of defending a dissertation at the University: "It was very convenient to defend my dissertation by the rules of St Petersburg University. At all stages of preparation, the University staff provided the necessary assistance. I thank them for their support."