WINTER OCEAN/SEA ICE INTERACTIONS STUDIED IN THE EAST ANTARCTIC

An experiment to identify changes in water mass properties as a result of sea ice growth and deformation was conducted in a 110×110 km region of the Antarctic pack ice near 64°S, 140°E in August 1995. This was the first intensive winter-time study in this region, which is thought to be high in ice production and active in bottom water formation [Foster, 1995; Gordon and Tchernia, 1972]. The information gathered is important in understanding the role sea ice plays in the climate system and for developing and validating combined ocean-ice-atmosphere models.