Author(s): Agnieszka Herman; Katarzyna Bradtke
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Sea ice; Frazil ice; Sea ice–wave interactions; Coastal polynya; Spectral wave modelling
Abstract:
Waves in sea ice have been widely studied in recent years. However, most studies focus on the marginal ice zone, i. e., long waves entering the ice cover from the open ocean, with low u^\ast/c ratios (where u^\ast denotes the friction velocity of wind at the sea surface and c is wave phase speed). In this study, we concentrate on very different conditions that occur in coastal polynyas during katabatic wind events: short, steep, locally generated waves at wind speeds exceeding 20 m/s. We use spectral wave modelling and satellite data to analyze interactions of those waves with frazil streaks forming on the polynya's surface under rapid-freezing conditions. In particular, we analyze the role of nonlinear wave-wave interactions, wind input, dissipation by breaking and in sea ice.
Year: 2024