Numerical Simulation of Sea Ice Dynamics with the Discrete Element Method

• Main Author: Alexander Dorsk
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.488.8874; http://people.clarkson.edu/projects/reushen/reu_china/Website/assets/participants_assets/Reports/Bing.pdf

This paper describes a discrete element model for sea ice dynamics. An ice field is modeled as a collection of circular ice particles that interact with each other and boundary walls. Geostrophic forces act as driving forces. Contacts are non-instantaneous and multiple contacts can occur simultaneously for each particle. Contact forces are modeled as viscous-elastic forces with a friction limit for the tangential component. Ridging effects were modeled by allowing particle size to vary when contact stress exceeds a plastic stress limit. Preliminary results for the model are reported. The results include a vortex wind field test, a unidirectional wind field test for ridging effects, and simulations of sea ice in the Bohai Sea.