Sea ice production and transport are key processes of the Okhotsk–
Pacific system. Kashiwase et al. (2014) developed a thin-ice
thickness algorithm using Special Sensor Microwave/Imager
(SSM/I) data for the Okhotsk Sea, and then estimated ice production
over 21 years (1988–2008) from the SSM/I thickness data by
performing heat flux calculations. They clarify the long-term
variability of sea-ice production in the polynyas and present the
first observational evidence of a linkage between annual total ice production and OSIW. Their results support the hypothesis that
decreasing ice production in the Okhotsk coastal polynyas has
led to weakening of the overturning circulation in the North Pacific