Underwater sound to probe sea ice melting in the Arctic during winter

Over a 4-year period between 2015 and 2019, in-situ time series measurements of ocean ambient noise over the frequency range 100 Hz to 10 kHz, by an autonomous passive acoustic monitoring system have been made in the Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Arctic. We characterize the noise due to sea ice melting during winter (December–January). This unique observation reveals loud noise signatures, of the order of 8 dB higher than the background noise, showing the signature of sea ice melting. Such observations are crucial for monitoring sea ice melting, especially during winter, to understand the recent warming of Arctic waters. The anomalous air temperature due to local atmospheric forcing and warming of ocean temperature in the fjord through ocean tunneling, individually or combinedly, is responsible for such sea ice melting. The cyclonic events in the Arctic are responsible for the anomalous atmospheric and ocean conditions, causing sea ice melting in winter.