AN ARCTIC ICE-OCEAN COUPLED MODEL WITH WAVE INTERACTIONS
Abstract
Whether configured for operational purposes or used for research, contemporary large scale coupled ice/ocean models, oceanic global circulation models and earth system models are unsophisticated concerning core aspects of sea ice behavior, notably the influential contribution that ocean waves make in evolving the ice canopy and hastening its annihilation. Equally, wave-forecasting models such as Wavewatch III?? assimilate the effects of sea ice on waves in a very rudimentary manner. We have made significant advances in understanding how ocean waves interact with sea ice floes in the marginal ice zone over the last 5 years, especially the two-dimensional scattering of incident directional wave spectra and the evolution of the floe size distribution that describes the marginal ice zone. Experiments in the fall of 2015 have generated data that are currently being analysed and interpreted in the context of the theory we have developed, allowing us to probe more deeply how ocean waves and sea ice interact and to focus especially on expedient physics-based parametrizations that can be used in operational models. Benefit will flow through improved parameterizations and forecasting capability as a result, especially in relation to the adverse global warming effects that are currently being witnessed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 10, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812470
Entities
People
- Vernon Squire
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Otago