Author(s): Jean-Raymond Bidlot; Sarah Keeley; Kristian Mogensen
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: Up to now, the impact of sea ice on waves has been limited to the specification of a fixed threshold in sea ice cover over which it is assumed that no waves exist. Recent developments of how waves are affected as they propagate into the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) have resulted in an attenuation model for wave energy that can be used to represent the impact of sea ice in a spectral wave model. We have applied that model to the operational wave model used at the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), even though the details of the sea ice field are not known (as could be the case with an active sea ice model). Hindcast results were compared to buoy observations made in the Weddell Sea. When used to produce operational forecasts, the wave model is fully coupled to the atmospheric model. The presence of sea ice alters the spectral distribution of the waves which in turn will impact the wind above. ECMWF is currently developing a fully coupled atmosphere-waveocean-sea-ice model. In that system, an active ice model can be used to supplement the basic information about the sea ice condition to the other components of the system. The impact of the sea ice on the wave field will be revisited in the context of the coupled system.
Year: 2014