Thermodynamic ice-ocean model: Description and experiments

A coupled ice-ocean model was developed. An ice model was based on elastoplastic theology. Ice mass and closeness were introduced by distribution functions. The thermodynamic model was applied to each individual class of ice. A parametrization of the advection of partial masses and ice closeness was based on a fourth-order accurate algorithm with solution monotonicity preserved. An ocean model was represented by a three-dimensional time-dependent baroclinic model with a free surface. The coupled model was used for simulation of buoy drifts in the central Arctic and for calculation of long-period and seasonal variability of ice and snow thickness, temperature, and salinity in some parts of the Arctic Ocean. A comparison between calculated and observed buoy drifts showed a good agreement. An analysis of ice edge dynamics showed that the model keeps a well-defined edge between free water and close-packed ice. The terms of the heat-balance equation for the ice and snow surfaces were estimated. The obtained growth rates of thin and thick ices and heat and salt fluxes under these ices were found to be essentially different. The model reproduced the seasonal cycle of temperature and salinity in the upper layer of the ocean, as well as the heat flux from the ocean to the bottom surface of the ice. The annual mean flux was about 1.2-1.3 W/m(2).