Evaluation of satellite-derived sea-ice thickness estimates for model validation

The inter-connectivity of sea ice, ocean circulation, and global climate has been studied using a variety of climate models, often producing conflicting results. Such studies may be limited by the poor model representation of sea ice and the lack of continental-scale information on the ice-thickness distribution for model validation. Although ship-based observations are some of the most valuable resources for information on Antarctic sea-ice thickness, they are somewhat limited seasonally and geographically. From 1995 to 1998, the National Ice Center (NIC) produced weekly, operational charts from remotely-sensed imagery, reporting information on sea-ice conditions for the entire Southern Ocean. The NIC sea-ice charts were used to derive a reasonable approximation of the Antarctic ice-thickness distribution, which was then used to validate the Antarctic ice-thickness distribution produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Sea Ice Model, Version 5 (CSIM 5.0).