Application of a new spectral theory of stably stratified turbulence to the atmospheric boundary layer over sea ice

A new spectral closure model of stably stratified turbulence is used to develop a K - epsilon model suitable for applications to the atmospheric boundary layer. This K - epsilon model utilizes vertical viscosity and diffusivity obtained from the spectral theory. In the epsilon equation, the Coriolis parameter-dependent formulation of the coefficient C-1 suggested by Detering and Etling is generalized to include the dependence on the Brunt-Vaisala frequency, N. The new K - epsilon model is tested in simulations of the ABL over sea ice and compared with observations from BASE as simulated in large-eddy simulations by Kosovic and Curry, and observations from SHEBA.