First Year Sea Ice Elson Lagoon, Utqiagvik, Alaska, USA (2018-2019)

This dataset includes measurements of in-situ First Year Sea Ice (FYI) from Elson Lagoon, Utqiagvik, Alaska (AK), United States of America (USA) during the 2018-2019 season. Thermal deformation of sea ice is thought to be an important factor in overall sea ice deformation at geophysical scales on the order of meters to kilometers. This data set includes strain and temperature collected in situ in Elson Lagoon. Sea ice in Elson Lagoon lends itself to the study of thermal deformation because it is isolated from dynamic forces and forms a relatively uniform layer of 1.2-1.5 m thick floating FYI. In-situ strain was measured with a Laser Strain Observing system (LSO), consisting of a Leica TM50 total station, and an array of 35 retroreflector targets. The reflectors were installed at distances ranging from 300 meters (m) to 1 kilometer (km), spanning the 360 degrees of azimuth. The TM50 repeatedly measures the relative position of each reflector via timed laser pulses, completing a cycle of measurements every ~20 minutes. Range measurements record the linear distance from the central observing station to a reflector, each with a unique ID also recorded. Range data can be converted to strain data using a reference range distance and change in range. Atmospheric conditions were measured simultaneously using a weather station on the ice. Atmospheric temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity are necessary to correct the LSO data for differences in the speed of light.