Marginal ice zone

[[File:Arctic Ocean swirls.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of the marginal ice zone in the Greenland Sea, showing fragmented sea ice and ocean-driven surface patterns.]]

[[File:Arctic Ocean swirls.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of the marginal ice zone in the Greenland Sea, showing fragmented sea ice and ocean-driven surface patterns.]]

[[File:Field Deployment in the Marginal Ice Zone, Barents Sea.jpg|thumb|Fragmented first-year sea ice in the marginal ice zone southeast of Svalbard, with dispersed floes and open water indicative of wave–ice interaction, 5 May 2016.{{cite journal | last1=Liu | first1=Dongang | last2=Yang | first2=Qinghua | last3=Tsarau | first3=Andrei | last4=Huang | first4=Yongtao | last5=Li | first5=Xuewei | title=A Parameterization Scheme for Wind Wave Modules that Includes the Sea Ice Thickness in the Marginal Ice Zone | journal=Advances in Atmospheric Sciences | volume=40 | issue=12 | date=2023 | issn=0256-1530 | doi=10.1007/s00376-023-2188-5 | pages=2279–2287 | url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00376-023-2188-5 | access-date=2026-04-24}}]]

The '''marginal ice zone''' ('''MIZ''') is the transition region between the open ocean and the consolidated [[sea ice]] cover, located near the ice edge.{{cite journal | last=Dumont | first=Dany | title=Marginal ice zone dynamics: history, definitions and research perspectives | journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences | volume=380 | issue=2235 | date=2022-10-31 | issn=1364-503X | doi=10.1098/rsta.2021.0253 | url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2021.0253 | access-date=2026-04-24}} It is commonly defined as the area between open water and dense pack ice, corresponding to [[sea ice concentration]]s of approximately 15% to 80%.{{cite web | title=The marginal ice zone | website=Norwegian Polar Institute – Scientific knowledge and advice to Norwegian authorities about the Arctic and Antarctic. | date=2026-04-21 | url=https://npolar.no/en/themes/the-marginal-ice-zone/ | access-date=2026-04-24}} Within this zone, the ice cover is fragmented and mobile, allowing waves and ocean swell to penetrate and interact with the ice. The marginal ice zone may be defined using different criteria, including sea ice concentration thresholds or the extent of wave–ice interactions. Marginal ice zones occur in both the [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]] and [[Southern Ocean|Antarctic]] regions.

The '''marginal ice zone''' ('''MIZ''') is the transition region between the open ocean and the consolidated [[sea ice]] cover, located near the ice edge.{{cite journal | last=Dumont | first=Dany | title=Marginal ice zone dynamics: history, definitions and research perspectives | journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences | volume=380 | issue=2235 | date=2022-10-31 | issn=1364-503X | doi=10.1098/rsta.2021.0253 | url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2021.0253 | access-date=2026-04-24}} It is commonly defined as the area between open water and dense pack ice, corresponding to [[sea ice concentration]]s of approximately 15% to 80%.{{cite web | title=The marginal ice zone | website=Norwegian Polar Institute – Scientific knowledge and advice to Norwegian authorities about the Arctic and Antarctic. | date=2026-04-21 | url=https://npolar.no/en/themes/the-marginal-ice-zone/ | access-date=2026-04-24}} Within this zone, the ice cover is fragmented and mobile, allowing waves and ocean swell to penetrate and interact with the ice. The marginal ice zone may be defined using different criteria, including sea ice concentration thresholds or the extent of wave–ice interactions. Marginal ice zones occur in both the [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]] and [[Southern Ocean|Antarctic]] regions.