Dr. Mats A. Granskog
Projects & Publications
Arctic sea ice is a critical component of the Earth’s system although it is a thin layer (order of meters) on the ocean. Sea-ice (physical) properties from the micro- to the hemispheric scale influence how sea ice regulates interactions between the ocean and atmosphere and conditions ranging from local phenomena to the global climate. Sea ice also provides unique and diverse microhabitats that are key to the functioning of the Arctic marine ecosystem.
While sea ice is often depicted as a homogeneous layer on the ocean, it is far from that. Sea ice is in constant motion due to winds and ocean currents, and this results in the ice being broken up (deformed) and the sea ice in the Arctic that is far from a level sheet on the ocean. Broken-up ice creates so-called sea-ice ridges, thick walls (up to several tens of meters) of broken-up ice blocks, like piles of Lego bricks. In fact, sea-ice ridges constitute nearly half of the sea-ice volume in the Arctic. These ice formations are typically overlooked in field studies because they are notoriously difficult to study and thus understudied. They likely provide the last refuge for ice-associated flora and fauna, when the thinner ice melts in summer.
The aim of this fellowship is to synthesize the current knowledge across the natural sciences, from physics and chemistry to ecology, and exploit current tools (remote sensing and numerical modeling) to improve our understanding of Arctic sea-ice ridges and guide future research.