S.S. Stammerjohn, Palmer LTER P hysical and biological systems traditionally are studied by different disciplines with different sets of terminology. The article proposes a scientific method for quantifying physical forcing on biological systems. Exploring Sea Ice Indexes for Polar Ecosystem Studies develops the concept of sea-ice indexes as the common vocabulary for the quantitative description of sea ice.
Sea ice is a complex matrix of physics and biology.
How sea ice forms determines its internal structure, strength and thickness, as well as the amount of incorporated biological material, and ultimately, the amount of ocean covered hence its function as both a biological platform for or barrier to the marine ecosystem. Because of this complexity of physics and biology, a qualitative description of sea ice can create more confusion than insight. Designating any particular year as a high sea-ice year is extremely vague, especially in the polar marine environment where seasonal and interannual variability are notoriously high, and such vagueness can lead easily to inconsistencies in its interpretation. These inconsistencies not only inhibit cross-comparisons but also limit the identification of the physical mechanisms forcing the variability in the marine ecosystem. In short, information such as the timing and duration of maximum sea ice extent are not conveyed in designating a year as having high or low sea ice.