Sea-ice production and transport of pollutants in the Laptev Sea, 1979-1993

Pollutants such as radionuclides can be incorporated into ice formed in shallow waters of the marginal seas, by suspension freezing, including frazil- and anchor-ice formation. This ice thickens through the winter and can survive the summer melt to eventually be pushed into the perennial ice zone and thus be transported long distances. After a few years, when the ice finally melts, these radionuclides can be re-released in biologically rich waters. We estimate that a mean of 256,000 km2 of sea ice is produced annually in the shallow water area of the Laptev Sea during the October freeze-up and in the flaw lead during winter, accounting for approx. 20% of the total ice area fluxing through the Fram Strait per year.