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A one-parameter model for pressure ridges is developed and compared, with good agreement, with over 3000 km of laser profile data taken from November 1970 to February 1973 in the Arctic basin. Comparisons are also made with a previously developed two-parameter model. The number of ridges per kilometer at any height level may be well predicted from the one-parameter model by using a parameter called ridging intensity (denoted by γh) which may be determined for a region from the mean number of ridges per unit length and the mean ridge height. Regional and temporal variations in ridging intensity in the western Arctic basin are studied. Results indicate that although magnitudes of ridging intensity vary in time, the relative regional variations are similar. Consequently, three distinct regions of ridging intensity having relatively stable boundaries can be defined. Annual variation in new ice production due to ridging is sufficiently large to suggest that ridging plays an important role in the overall mass balance of the Arctic basin.
Hibler et al. (1974) studied this question.