to Sea-Ice Nomenclature Overview page

Introduction

Many people know that large portions of the polar oceans are seasonally or annually ice covered, but how does the ice cover develop?  What processes control ice type and growth rate?  By looking at the formation and growth of sea ice from a geophysical perspective we may be able to begin to answer these questions.  The sea ice nomenclature has been organized in terms of thickness and ease of navigation through the ice.  This page attempts to analyze the organization of new and young ice nomenclature, perhaps shedding light on their meanings and properties, as well as exploring the development of some of the more common ice types.  Duration of existence as well as surface conditions suggest alternate methods od classifying new and young ice types, rather than basing the organization on thickness and navigational ease.  Click here to see more......