The data is obtained from model-scale experiments on shallow water ice-structure interaction. During the conducted experiments, a ten-meter wide initially intact ice sheet was pushed against a sloping structure of the same width. As the ice failed against the structure, a grounded rubble pile accumulated in front of it. The structure consisted of ten identical one-meter-wide segments and the horizontal load on each of these segments was measured independently with load cells. These measurements are presented as load-time datasets. The horizontal load acting on the false bottom was measured with load cells and are also presented as load-time datasets. Furthermore, the ice pressure on two of the segments was measured with tactile sensors. These pressure measurements are presented as array-based pressure-time datasets. Video footage filmed from two different video angles is included in the data. In addition, the coordinates of the rubble pile geometries at the end of each experiment are published. The data includes the top and side rubble pile geometries. In total, seven experiments were conducted. The data can be used by researchers, engineers and designers who work with ice structure interaction related issues in order to, for instance, optimize the design of offshore structures, improve ice load predictions or develop future experiments and simulations. A full description of the experimental set-up and the published data is submitted to the journal Data in Brief.
Ship-based observations of sea ice thickness using the Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) protocol provide information on ice thickness distribution at relatively low cost. This protocol uses a simple formula to calculate the mass of ice in ridges based on surface observations. We present two new formulae and compare these with results from the “Original” formula using data obtained in the Ross Sea in autumn and winter. The new “r-star” formula uses a more realistic ratio of sail and keel areas to transform dimensions of sails to estimates of mean keel areas. As a result, estimates of “equivalent thickness” (i.e. mean thickness of ice in ridged areas) increased by over 200%. The new “Probability” formula goes one step further, by incorporating the probability that a sail is associated with a keel underwater, and the probability that keels may be found under level surfaces. This resulted in estimates of equivalent thickness comparable with the Original formula. Estimates of equivalent thickness at one or two degree latitude resolution are sufficiently accurate for validating sea ice models. Although ridges are small features in the Ross Sea, we have shown that they constitute a significant fraction of the total ice mass.