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    A tool to evaluate accessibility due to sea-ice cover: a case study of the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

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    Numéro du document:
    WG-EMM-2022/P13
    Auteur(s):
    H. Pehlke, T. Brey, R. Konijnenberg and K. Teschke
    Soumis par:
    Katharina Teschke (Allemagne)
    Approuvé par:
    Thomas Brey
    Publication:
    Ant. Sci., 34 (1) (2022): 97–104, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102021000523
    Résumé

    Sea ice is the major constraint on human activities in the Southern Ocean. Depending on a vessel's ice class, human mobility may be restricted or even prevented altogether by sea-ice conditions. This may imply limited access to research or monitoring stations, preferred fishing grounds or attractive tourist sites. Here, we introduce a statistical model that evaluates the sea-ice cover with two measures: 1) accessibility (i.e. the probability that a given area is navigable by vessels at a given time) and 2) repeated accessibility (i.e. the probability that a given area is navigable by vessels at a given time and again at least once within a defined timespan). We use daily sea-ice concentration data from 2002 to 2020 to demonstrate this tool and its functioning regarding the spatiotemporal variability of sea-ice cover in the wider Weddell Sea region. These findings reflect known characteristics of sea-ice distribution and dynamics in the Weddell Sea, confirming the functionality of our simple tool for determining repeated accessibility of certain areas. Such a tool may facilitate the planning of research and monitoring activities in the Southern Ocean, as well as in Arctic seas.