We have investigated the possibility of using optical instruments to detect the presence of frazil ice in Arctic leads. Frazil ice was successfully detected with a transmissometer but could not be seen with scattering sensors. Field measurements were made in Arctic leads north of Alaska during the spring of 1992 as a part of the lead experiment (LEADEX). On two occasions, the temperature, salinity, and transmission signals show the presence of frazil. Because a transmissometer cannot distinguish ice from other types of particles, we present a concept for a dual wavelength absorption meter that would be able to distinguish between frazil ice and biological particles.

Date Published: 31 December 1992
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 1750, Ocean Optics XI, (31 December 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.140678

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1750:
Ocean Optics XI
Gary D. Gilbert, Editor(s)