Summary
A study of the variation in snow cover and depth over the Antarctic sea ice zone was performed using AMSR-E/Aqua snow depth and sea ice temperature products of approximate 5-day intervals from June 2002 through December 2005. Time series statistic analyses of mean and maximum snow depth, snow area coverage, as well as the spatiotemporal distribution analysis of areas of minimum (less than 5 cm) and maximum (mean + 20) snow depth were performed. The areas of maximum snow depth were compared with sea ice temperature data to observe potential patterns of occurrence. Results of the study indicated that the minimum snow coverage area showed a consistent decrease from 2003 to 2005 in February (later summer season), while the maximum snow coverage area showed a consistent increase from 2002 to 2005 in late September (early spring season). The mean snow depth peaks in summer months and shows a generally increasing trend from 2003 to 2005, while total snow volume (from mean snow depth multiplied by snow coverage) on sea ice generally decreased from 2003 to 2005 in both peak and low seasons. A comparison of mean snow depth to the area of snow coverage shows that a decrease in the area of thin sea ice (and hence thin snow cover) occurs in summer months and tends to bias the mean values toward thicker remaining snow cover. This is supported by maximum snow depth values that do not show a corresponding increase in summer months as shown in the mean values. Images compared from 2002 to 2005 show the occurrence of maximum areas of snow depth coincide well with previously reported areas of sea ice increases in the Weddell Sea, Ross, Sea, and Pacific Ocean. One exception is the Amundsen Sea, which shows areas of maximum snow depth in the Spring and Winter months however, was reported with decreasing sea ice trends and therefore may represent greater precipitation in these areas. Seasonal comparisons of maximum areas show changes in location that appear to correspond with ice circulation patterns in the Weddell Sea. Areas with minimum snow depth generally occur in east Antarctica, north along the Atlantic Ocean, and over thin sea ice at the edge of the ice pack. Limited comparison of sea ice temperature with maximum snow depth occurrence generally showed a consistent positive correlation between temperature minimums and snow depth maximum for all seasons.