Strain meter measurements on an actively breaking ice edge to investigate sea wave/ice interactions and the break up processes of sea ice

The interaction between the ocean wave field and the sea ice in the marginal fast ice zone was measured by first designing and testing a prototype strain meter especially designed for operation near the ice edge and then deploying it. The strain meter was installed on sea ice near Scott Base and vehicles were used to generate strains and deflections in the ice. In the following season an array of these strain meters was positioned near the ice edge and measured the sea wave/ice interaction. The results generated helped to understand the break up process that generates floes in the marginal ice zone and to utilise wave forcing as a means to investigate the properties of sea ice at scales from 100m to 10km. A measurement of under-ice pressure was analysed and shown to be a potentially useful method of measuring the effective stiffness of sea ice at scales around 100m.