Ice Drift Vector

Free-drifting ice moves ~2 % of wind speed at ~30° to the right of wind (Nansen rule) in northern hemisphere, plus any surface-current contribution.

PolarIce

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This calculator requires JavaScript to compute its result. The formula, symbols, and regulatory sources are shown in the Formula section below.

Formula, assumptions, and limits

V_\text{ice} = 0.02 V_\text{wind} \oplus V_\text{current}, \quad \theta_\text{ice} = \theta_\text{wind towards} + 30^\circ

Symbol	Meaning	Unit
$V_\text{wind}$	Surface wind speed	kn
$V_\text{current}$	Surface current	kn

Source: Nansen (1902) - Oceanography of North Polar Basin; IMO Polar Code

In short

Free-drifting ice moves ~2 % of wind speed at ~30\u00b0 to the right of wind (Nansen rule) in northern hemisphere, plus any surface-current contribution.

Learn the theory Antarctic Special Area and Polar Code: integrated MARPOL plus SOLAS regime