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Polar Ice Dynamics

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Encyclopedia of Remote Sensing

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Synonyms

Glacier motion; Ice drift; Ice rheology; Ice sheet motion; Ice transport; Sea ice motion

Definition

Polar ice. Ice cover found in the polar regions, with “polar” typically defined as locations north or south of the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, respectively (latitudes of 66.56083 °N and 66.56083 °S). The definition includes ice that forms on the oceans (sea ice), glaciers, and ice sheets.

Ice dynamics. Motion of ice cover, including large-scale patterns of ice transport, fine-scale movement of ice floes, and the interactions of ice and forcings such as winds and ocean currents.

Introduction

To many, the “polar ice caps” are viewed as areas of permanent, relatively static, and stable ice cover. In fact, all areas of ice on the oceans and land move at different rates, ranging from the relatively fast transport of sea ice of typically between 5 and 20 km/day (e.g., Emery et al., 1997; Heil and Allison, 1999) to the movement of glaciers and ice sheets (as much as 30 m/day for the...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, CCAR, 80309, Boulder, CO, USA

    James Maslanik

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  1. James Maslanik
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Correspondence to James Maslanik .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

    Eni G. Njoku

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Maslanik, J. (2014). Polar Ice Dynamics. In: Njoku, E.G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Remote Sensing. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-36699-9_128

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