Atmospheric Administration, Earth System Research Laboratory, Physical Sciences Division (NOAA/OAR/ESRL PSD) in Boulder, Colorado, USA.

The seasonal cycle of freshwater content does not only concern mechanical (Ekman pumping) processes, but thermal (ice formation) processes as well. The Beaufort Gyre contains a mean volume of of frozen freshwater, or sea ice, based on a mean ice thickness of 2 meters. During the June-July months, the mean seasonal cycle of freshwater content peaks; in this season, sea ice thickness reaches a minimum,