Lars H. Smedsrud
Researcher in
oceanography, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
|
|
|
|
Modeling the Arctic Ice Cover; I
started using a simple yet physical model of the Arctic ice-cover in
2007. The important processes are included, and results indicate that
the sea ice export is a stronger driver of thinning for the ice than
the estimated increased oceanic heat transport. Heat transport in the
atmosphere have remained on the same level as around 1990 and cannot
explain the recent ice loss.
Sea ice formation in leads and polynyas on Svalbard; I study
how the first ice formation depend on the surrounding forcing, mostly
the wind speed
creating turbulence in the ocean, snow drift and high heatfluxes to
the cold air above. If the first ice cover becomes a thin layer of
solid ice rather than a layer of slush, heat fluxes will be an order
of magnitude lower, and less salt will be released to the ocean
below. The first field work in Polar
Ocean
Climate Processes took place in March
2003 in Svea. The next three field seasons were spent at a cabin on
Edge
Øya in Storfjorden. If you have a good internet
connection (> 1 Mbit/s) and Windows Media Player, you may
watch a film from the fieldwork: "When
the ice comes". Scientific results may be found in a
Cold Regions Science and Technology article.
Incorporation of sediment into sea ice in the Kara
Sea; This was the work of my PhD, and the project was motivated
by the fact that different types of pollution enters the Arctic Ocean
through the rivers Ob og Yenisey. Many pollutants adheres to
sediment, and if the sediment is incorporated into sea ice, the
pollutants will be advected along with the ice and out into the North
Atlantic or the Barents Sea. The Norwegian
Polar Institute has had different related projects over a number
of years, most recently the Transport
Programme. Picture
of sediment on ice in the Barents Sea
Frazil ice
formation; When sea water freezes and the water is sufficiently
turbulent from wind or tides, frazil ice formation will be the
result. These crystals look much like snow flakes, and are diffused
down into the water. They contribute to a more efficient ice
formation and thereby also a higher salt flux then during normal
congelation ice growth. Frazil ice forms in rivers, in leads or
polynyas, and below Antarctic ice shelves. Image
of congealed frazil ice.
Previous administrative duties;
Forum
for Research into Ice Shelf Processes (FRISP) www
pages and editor of reports 2002-2007
Norwegian
Ocean and Climate Project, NOClim and Polar Ocean Climate Processes,
ProClim www pages, and outreach
|
Lars Henrik Smedsrud |
Phone: +47 55 58 26 38 |
