How do you pronounce polynya?
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /pə(ʊ)ˈlɪnjə/
- (General American) IPA: /pəˈlɪnjə/, /ˌpɑlənˈjɑ/
- Hyphenation: po‧lyn‧ya.
- Audio (UK) 0:02. (file)
What does the word polynya mean?
Definition of polynya : an area of open water in sea ice.
How is polynya formed?
A latent heat polynya is formed through the action of katabatic winds, which act to drive ice away from a fixed boundary such as a coastline, fast ice, or an ice bridge. The polynya forms initially when first-year pack ice is driven away from the coast, which leaves an area of open water within which new ice is formed.
Why are polynyas important to Arctic wildlife?
Polynyas are also important resources for wildlife. They provide access between the ocean and atmosphere for a variety of animals, including seals and penguins.
Why is polynya important to wildlife?
Who discovered polynya in the Cosmonaut Sea?
Comiso and Gordon
1), which has occurred almost every year based on satellite passive microwave observations available since the late 1970s. Comiso and Gordon (1987) first reported this polynya and named it the western Cosmonaut Sea Polynya (wCSP).
What is a coastal polynya?
Polynyas can be classified into coastal and open-ocean polynyas. Coastal polynyas form where the winter winds advect the adjacent pack ice away from the coast, so that sea water at temperatures close to the freezing point is directly exposed to a large negative heat flux, with the resultant rapid formation of new ice.
What animals live in polynyas?
It is home to species such as polar bears, seals, narwhals, belugas and bowhead whales. It also serves as a migratory route for marine mammal species, such as bowhead whales, narwhal and killer whales and sea birds species, such as black-legged kittiwake.
What is fast sea ice?
ice that is anchored to the shore or ocean bottom, typically over shallow ocean shelves at continental margins; fast ice is defined by the fact that it does not move with the winds or currents.
What is a latent heat polynya?
A latent-heat polynya is characterized by ocean water at the freezing point. It forms as a result of winds blowing in a persistent direction that push the ice away from a barrier, such as the coast, fast ice (ice that is anchored to the shore or ocean bottom), a grounded iceberg, or an ice shelf.
Why is a polynya important to wildlife?
What is brash ice?
Brash ice is an accumulation of floating ice made up of fragments not more than 2 m across. It is the wreckage of other forms of ice. Brash is common between colliding floes or in regions where pressure ridges have collapsed.