The Circumpolar Flaw Lead System
The circumpolar flaw lead (CFL) is a perennial characteristic of the central Arctic (Fig). The CFL system is formed when the central pack (which is mobile) moves away from coastal fast ice, opening a flaw lead which occurs throughout the winter season, forming first in the fall and continuing as thin ice areas in the winter season. The flaw lead is circumpolar, with recurrent and interconnected polynyas occurring in the Norwegian, Icelandic, North American and Siberian sectors (Fig) of the circumpolar Arctic (Barber and Massom 2007). Due to a reduced ice cover these regions are exceedingly sensitive to physical forcing from both the atmosphere and ocean and provide a unique laboratory from which we can gain insights into the changing polar marine ecosystem.
The International Polar Year (IPY) Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) System Study
Barber and Massom, 2007
