Author(s): Jia Wang; Javad Javaherian; David Cannon; Ayumi Fujisaki-Manome; Dmitry Beletsky; Lei Zuo
Linked Author(s): Dmitry Beletsky
Keywords: Great Lakes; Wave dynamics; Ice-induced wave attenuation; Wave-induced ice breaking; FVCOM–CICE–SWAN; Two-way ice-wave interactions
Abstract: A two-way fully coupled wave-ice model is being developed with the capability to resolve both ice-induced wave attenuation and wave-induced ice breaking. Wave and ice interactive dynamics in the Laurentian Great Lakes were simulated using the Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) framework. Seven simple, flexible, and efficient parameterization schemes originating from the WAVEWATCH III® IC4 were used to quantify the wave energy loss during wave propagation under ice. Ice-induced reductions of wind energy input and wave energy dissipation via whitecapping and breaking were also implemented (i. e., blocking effect). The model showed satisfactory performance in both wave and ice modeling, as validated using buoy-observed significant wave height during the ice-free season and satellite-retrieved ice concentration, respectively. Simulations were conducted over the basin-scale, and the five-lake unstructured grid provided spatial distribution of ice-induced wave attenuation in ice years 2014 (i. e. heavy-ice) and 2011 (i. e. average ice). Simulations accurately reproduced ice-attenuated waves when validated against observations from a bottom-moored acoustic wave profiler in Lake Erie, where maximum ice cover exceeded 90% in 2011. However, the wave observations showed quick responses between waves and ice, while the model with one-way coupling was unable to simulate the quick response of ice melting. In this study, we present the theoretical formulas to develop a module in which wave-induced ice breakage reduces the floe size, thus increasing the lateral area of ice floes and leading to enhanced lateral melting. Preliminary simulations with the five-lake model shows that two-way ice-wave interactions indeed reduced ice concentration and thickness along the ice edge region relative to the prediction of both uncoupled and one-way models, leading to increases in significant wave heights along the ice margins.
Year: 2024