Observations of sea ice physical properties during the sea ice electromagnetics initiative

An Office of Naval Research sponsored sea ice electromagnetics research initiative has been directed towards relating the observed variability in sea ice electromagnetic signatures to changes in sea ice physical properties, and then using this information to develop forward and inverse models. In this paper the authors present an overview of laboratory and field observations made of sea ice physical properties during the past three years. This description included a statistical characterization of the ice microstructure. They present these observations in the context of tracing the development of sea ice. The laboratory studies included in situ measurements of the physical and electromagnetic properties of young ice sheets grown under both quiescent and active conditions.