Snow and ice thickness in Prydz Bay, East Antarctic, derived from Fast Ice Prediction System (FIPS) and field observations

Snow and ice thickness products in Prydz Bay, East Antarctic, derived from Fast Ice Prediction System (FIPS) and field observations were described in this paper. This new FIPS version comprised a newly-developed snowdrift parameterization and was forced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) ERA-Interim reanalysis. The simulation domain was configured to 720 grid cells with a spatial resolution of 0.125°, covering the entire fast ice region in Prydz Bay. Field observations in Prydz Bay were conducted at the fast ice site near Zhongshan Station. Snow and ice thickness were measured manually by the wintering team and the visit frequency was around one weekly. Both FIPS products and field observations introduced here were from 2012 to 2016. FIPS products were primarily assessed with the field observations, and the results showed a mean bias of 0.001±0.07 m and 0.23±0.09 m for snow and ice thickness, respectively. The comparisons indicated that FIPS products has a good quality and can be used as a basic dataset for sea ice thermodynamic analysis, remote sensing validation and icebreaker navigation assessments.