Tracking Multiyear Sea‐Ice Variation in the Arctic Ocean Over Decades With Microseism

Abstract

We construct a linear model of microseism power as a function of sea‐ice concentration and ocean‐wave activity with a seismic station located on northern Ellesmere Island. The influence of wind‐ice‐ocean interactions on microseism has been taken into account. We find the increase in microseism power over the last 32 years reflects the long‐term loss of sea ice and increasing ocean‐wave activity in the Arctic Ocean likely associated with climate change. We further assess model performance to determine a representative region over which sea‐ice concentration and ocean‐wave activity most directly influence the microseism power. The seismological methods developed here suggest that there is the potential to augment or refine observations of sea‐ice conditions obtained from satellites and from in‐situ observations. Seismological methods may thus help determine properties such as sea‐ice thickness, which are less amenable to conventional observations, under a changing climate, particularly in remote areas like the High Arctic.