Advances in modelling interactions between sea ice and ocean surface waves

Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (2019)

In the outer margins of polar sea ice cover, complex interactions occur between sea ice and ocean surface waves.

Waves travel through sea ice, with properties of in‐ice waves dependent on the size of sea ice floes. Sea ice may be fractured by waves, and waves determine the type of sea ice formation that occurs.

This study presents advances in numerical modeling of these processes, including communication between a sea ice model and a wave model. We investigate how different physical processes determine the perimeter of sea ice floes exposed to the ocean, and thus the amount of melt that occurs at their edges.