Earth`s Cryosphere, 2019, Vol. XXIII, № 3, p. 43-50

ICE RIDGES IN THE SHOKALSKY STRAIT, THE SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA ARCHIPELAGO

V.V. Kharitonov

Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute,
38, Beringa str., St. Petersburg, 199397, Russia; sogra.kharitonov@mail.ru

The paper discusses the main characteristics of the three first-year ice ridges examined with respect to their geometry and morphology in the Shokalsky Strait (Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago) in April and May 2016. These studies were conducted using hot water thermal drilling with computer-recording of penetration rate. The boreholes drilled along the transect of the top of the ridge were spaced at 0.25 m. Cross-sectional profiles of the ice ridges are presented. The measured dimensions of the studied ice ridges were: sail height varying from 2.5 up to 3.4 m, the keel depth varying from 8.3 up to 10.3 m. The keel depth to sail height ratio averaged from 2.8 to 3.3 m, and the thickness of the consolidated layer was 2.2–2.4 m. The porosity of the unconsolidated part of the keel was about 25–30 % in two ridges and about 19 % in the third one. The distributions of volume content of solid phase in sea ice versus depth are analysed for all the studied ice ridges. One of these ice ridges was characterized by an extremely steep keel slope angle (about 87°).

Ice ridge, thermal drilling, cross-sectional profile, consolidated layer, keel slope

DOI: 10.21782/EC2541-9994-2019-3(43-50)