Albedo and Degree of Puddling of a Melting Cover of Sea Ice

Abstract

Continuous measurements of incident and reflected short-wave radiation have been obtained from 12 May to 17 June 1968 on the ice cover at Tanquary Fiord, Ellesmere Island (lat. 81° 25′ N., long. 76° 50′ W.). The observations were made with radiometers suspended between two towers at a height of 50 ft (15 m) to sample an area large enough to be representative of the surface of the ice cover. From the start of surface melting, time-lapse photographs were taken at intervals of 3 h with a camera mounted on one of the towers at a height of 20 ft (6 m) and slanted below the horizontal. Values are presented, for the observation period, of incident short-wave radiation, albedo, air temperature at screen height and percentage of surface covered with melt pools. It is shown that the albedo decreases linearly with increasing area of water puddles.