Waves in the Beaufort Sea MIZ observed with a dense and persistent array of wavebuoys from spring to autumn 2014

The 2014 sea ice extent was the sixth lowest extent in the satellite record and continues the long-term downward trend in Arctic ice extent. This enhanced northerly retreat of the sea ice leaves behind a growing region of open water, with increased fetch and thus the potential for significant ice-fracturing by waves. Such wave-induced break-up can accelerate thermodynamic melt of the ice cover, further accelerating ice retreat. To study these effects, we deployed, in spring 2014, 20 wave-buoys over a 300 km region of the Beaufort Sea, which survived until the onset of the Arctic winter. We present results from this unprecedented spatial and temporal coverage of the wave-field in the ice, and discuss the influence of waves in the breakup and melt of sea ice in the 2014 Beaufort Sea.