Satellite-derived maps of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice motion: 1988 to 1994

Standard image processing methods applied to 85.5 GHz Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data provide previously unseen details about sea ice motion in the Arctic and Southern oceans. Means calculated from daily ice motions for 1988-1994 confirm the basic circulation patterns established from drifting stations and buoys, but extend these observations to illustrate less well-known transport patterns in the Arctic coastal zones and sub-Arctic seas. In the Antarctic, the gridded motion fields show a nearly continuous westward transport along the antarctic coast, with well-defined regions of exchange between this East Wind Drift and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This detailed view of mean ice motion in the Southern Ocean is unique and presents a comprehensive overview not previously available for Antarctic ice motions.