![F3.1 This graph shows monthly extent (thin lines) for Arctic (blue) and Antarctic (red) and 12-month trailing average (thick lines) for standardized anomalies (departure from the 1981 to 2010 average in each month divided by the 1981 to 2010 standard deviation for the month). The linear trend is overlaid in dashed lines.
Credit: W. Meier, NSIDC https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/](https://miz.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/F3.1.png)
THE MIZ STUDY
The Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) Study is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, and collaborative Antarctic science program that focuses on one of the fastest-changing regions of the Southern Ocean.
This science project has been designed to provide samples, data, and synergistic analysis to understand the (East) Antarctic marginal ice zone (MIZ), and its efficiency in promoting (or reducing) ocean, atmosphere and ecosystem functions.
The MIZ Study will deliver essential information and material for government policy and meet international obligations, including long-term monitoring, in-situ* datasets, and Earth System analysis.
*in-situ (collected in the field during an expedition / as opposed to remotely sensed) datasets
DEFINITION OF THE MIZ
MIZ (Marginal Ice Zone) is the transition from compact sea ice to open ocean. The definition is related to both sea-ice concentration and wave effect on sea ice, usually a combination of both.
![Picture 1 Wave and sea ice interactions in the marginal ice zone: Waves are attenuated by sea ice. They contribute to dynamics, growth, and melt within the pack. Waves impacti established sea ice most obviously via changes to floe size i.e. the size distribution of plates of ice that give a cracked eggshell appearance to the pack.
Moving from left to right in the figure, waves interact with and contribute to frazil ice which is produced by cooling ocean water. Frazil is aggregated to a point where ice reaches a maximum concentration and local sections of ice raft on top of each other to produce thick ice that eventually congeals into solid blocks of sea ice. Wave properties, including reflection, damping, and production due to wind fetch over open waters are modified throughout this process.
From E3SM https://e3sm.org/e3sm-next-generation-development-for-coastal-waves/Figure 2, – adapted from Dai et al. (2019) and Sutherland and Dumont (2018).](https://miz.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Picture-1.png)