Author(s): T. E. Arbetter; A. H. Lynch; J. A. Maslanik; W. N. Meier
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Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: A sea ice thickness distribution model is modified to include data assimilation of satellite-derived sea ice motion. The model is applied to the Arctic basin for 1990 and1998, two years with anomalously low summer sea ice extent and coverage. Daily ice area observations derived from SSM/I satellite data are used to initialize the model and for comparison with model-predictions. In both simulated years, the use of assimilated sea ice motion constrains the 15% sea ice extent closer to SSM/I-observed values, but excessive ice melt occurs within the central pack. Compared to the baseline, the assimilated ice motion field varies the dynamic transport of ice and thereby the production of open water and ridged ice, resulting in dramatic differences in the seasonal evolution of the ice pack. This suggests that the sea ice model is overly sensitive to changes in dynamic forcing. This has implications for the inclusion of data assimilation of sea ice motion in climate models.
Year: 2002