Sea ice thickness, snow depth, and sea ice freeboard in lagoon sites along the Alaska Beaufort Sea coast, 2019-ongoing

Physical parameters related to snow and sea ice have implications for lagoon circulation, sea-air heat exchange, and underwater light regimes. To understand these relationships and their greater effect on ecosystem function, the Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystem LTER (BLE LTER) uses in situ methods to assess snow depth, ice freeboard, and ice thickness in select water bodies across the Beaufort Sea coast (Elson Lagoon, Simpson Lagoon, Kaktovik Lagoon, Jago Lagoon, and Stefansson Sound). Sea ice thickness is the distance from sea ice bottom to top, not including snow. Freeboard, determined in the same drilled hole, is the distance from the surface of the water to the top of the ice, not including snow cover. These measurements are made annually, close to maximum ice thickness (typically April).