Revealing the Antarctic marginal ice zone with a decade-long wave-in-ice climatology

Abstract

The marginal ice zone (MIZ) is the region of sea ice that is strongly influenced by open-ocean processes, particularly ocean waves. The width of the Antarctic MIZ is often quantified by applying thresholds to satellite-derived maps of sea-ice concentration, although this definition lacks any connection to waves. Laser altimetry provides snapshots of wave penetration, but is restricted by cloud cover. To overcome these limitations, we refine radar altimetry techniques to estimate the Antarctic MIZ width from Ka-band radar altimeter data (2013-2024), producing a decade-long climatology of the wave-affected MIZ. Our analysis reveals the regionality and seasonality of the MIZ width, highlighting..