The ice balance of the world's oceans and the ice resources involved

Abstract

Calculations were made of the ice balance of the world's oceans and also of the Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean individually on the basis of published data from field observations; these calculations characterized the components of the ice balance throughout their annual cycle on the basis of mean long‐term conditions. The results confirm the existence of an equilibrium between input and output in terms of the sea ice in the world's oceans. The overall effects of thermal and dynamic processes operating in the ocean and the atmosphere contribute to the stability of the mean long‐term balance in terms of sea ice volume. The role of sea ice and icebergs in reducing water salinities was demonstrated. Volumes of fresh water contained in sea ice and icebergs were estimated for the world's oceans, and for both hemispheres and for the Arctic Basin separately. This ice may be considered as a water resource within the world's oceans.