The development of the Odden ice tongue in the Greenland Sea during winter 1993 from remote sensing and field observations

The Odden ice tongue in the central Greenland Sea, believed to be associated with midgyre convection, developed prominently during the: winter of 1993 (January-April). During this period it was studied by a succession of cruises which formed part of the European Subpolar Ocean Programme and which included direct sampling and measurement of the frazil and pancake ice which constituted the material of the ice tongue as well as studies of the ocean structure. Passive microwave imagery was used to determine the evolution of Odden through the winter and, when combined with ERS 1 synthetic aperture radar studies and the field data, yielded estimates of ice extent and thickness through the winter. From these studies it was possible to estimate the salt flux into the ocean originating from brine release from sea ice during the growth phases of Odden.