Summary of AFIN Measurements on Atka Bay Landfast Sea Ice in 2011

Antarctic sea-ice mass, -extent, and -properties are expected to experience significant changes in the next decades. Long-term and consistent time series of in-situ measurements are crucial to reveal insights into this system, and are needed to validate satellite derived sea-ice parameters and numerical simulations. Following the need for a coordinated approach on the monitoring of Antarctic landfast sea ice, the Antarctic Fast Ice Network (AFIN) was initiated as a legacy project during the 2007-2009 International Polar Year. As part of AFIN, a regular observation program was started in 2010 on the landfast sea ice of Atka Bay, in the northeastern Weddell Sea. The measurements are carried out by the German Antarctic station Neumayer III, situated on the Ekström Ice Shelf at 70◦40’S, 008◦16’W. This field report describes our measurement activities between June 2011 and January 2012, and presents some preliminary results.