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 km y 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 theWeddell. Citation: Drucker, R., S. Martin, and R. Kwok (2011), Sea ice production and export from coastal polynyas in the Weddell and Ross Seas, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L17502, doi:10.1029/2011GL048668.