Collaborative Research: EAGER: Persistent measurements of surface waves in landfast ice using fiber optic telecommunication cables

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

In shallow, coastal regions of the Arctic, sea ice forming on the ocean that is attached to the coast is known as landfast ice. Breakup of this ice is likely driven by a combination of melting and ocean wave action. Following spring breakup, when ice is not present for the summer months, there is more wave energy at the coast. Waves can increase coastal erosion. However, our understanding of the processes by which waves break up coastal sea ice and contribute to Arctic coastal erosion are still limited by a lack of observations. This project will test use of a new technology for better measuring waves in coastal ice. The success of this project will significantly advance our ability to understand the rapidly eroding coastal Arctic. The results will have broad applications for both scientific and coastal Arctic communities, and the project will engage local high school students to build and deploy instruments. This project will test our ability to measure waves in ice-covered regions using seafloor cables. The investigators will measure waves along a seafloor cable and by surface buoys over week-long periods in spring, summer, and fall 2022. Cable measurements will be collected using shore-based instrumentation by collaborators at Sandia National Laboratory, while buoys will be deployed along the length of the cable by airborne or vessel-based methods. These measurements aim to address fundamental questions about coastal ice and its breakup, including: (1) What is the role of waves in breaking up ice? and (2) How do waves change and evolve in areas of coastal ice? The co-location of buoy deployments and cable measurements during this period aims to produce a method that will allow researchers to measure waves using seafloor cables in the future with no additional deployment of equipment. The potential for persistent, high-resolution observations of surface waves using cables opens new avenues of research in this area. The ice-covered season in the Alaskan Arctic is expected to continue to shorten in future years, and the role of waves is likely to be greater. This project will begin building networks to use this technology to answer societally relevant questions, through Arctic science networks and in local communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.