Sea ice production and export from coastal polynyas in the Weddell and Ross Seas

[1] For 1992–2008, we use data from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E) to examine differences in ice production and export in the Weddell and Ross Seas. We find that the Ross production is three times that in the Weddell; the Ross export, twice that in the Weddell. In the Ross, the ice production has a statistically significant positive trend of about 21 km3 y−1 and approximately equals the export, while in the Weddell, the production trend is statistically flat and provides only about 60% of the export. For each sea, comparison of the ice production with the total winter sea ice volume shows that the Weddell polynyas produce 5–10% of the total; the Ross polynyas, 20–50%. The explanation for these differences is that in the Ross, the low-pressure system is better situated for generation of large polynyas than in the Weddell.