Analysis of Sea Ice Cover Sensitivity in Global Climate Model

• Published in: Science and Education of the Bauman MSTU
• Main Author: V. P. Parhomenko
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: MGTU im. N.È. Baumana 2014
• Subjects: global climate model; numerical experiments; arctic sea ice; Computer engineering. Computer hardware; TK7885-7895; Mechanics of engineering. Applied mechanics; TA349-359; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; albedo; Arctic Basin; Beaufort Sea; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.7463/0414.0708369; https://doaj.org/article/4083a6ea7a38437da0c468830e074518

The paper presents joint calculations using a 3D atmospheric general circulation model, an ocean model, and a sea ice evolution model. The purpose of the work is to analyze a seasonal and annual evolution of sea ice, long-term variability of a model ice cover, and its sensitivity to some parameters of model as well to define atmosphere-ice-ocean interaction. Results of 100 years simulations of Arctic basin sea ice evolution are analyzed. There are significant (about 0.5 m) inter-annual fluctuations of an ice cover. The ice - atmosphere sensible heat flux reduced by 10% leads to the growth of average sea ice thickness within the limits of 0.05 m – 0.1 m. However in separate spatial points the thickness decreases up to 0.5 m. An analysis of the seasonably changing average ice thickness with decreasing, as compared to the basic variant by 0.05 of clear sea ice albedo and that of snow shows the ice thickness reduction in a range from 0.2 m up to 0.6 m, and the change maximum falls for the summer season of intensive melting. The spatial distribution of ice thickness changes shows, that on the large part of the Arctic Ocean there was a reduction of ice thickness down to 1 m. However, there is also an area of some increase of the ice layer basically in a range up to 0.2 m (Beaufort Sea). The 0.05 decrease of sea ice snow albedo leads to reduction of average ice thickness approximately by 0.2 m, and this value slightly depends on a season. In the following experiment the ocean – ice thermal interaction influence on the ice cover is estimated. It is carried out by increase of a heat flux from ocean to the bottom surface of sea ice by 2 W/sq. m in comparison with base variant. The analysis demonstrates, that the average ice thickness reduces in a range from 0.2 m to 0.35 m. There are small seasonal changes of this value. The numerical experiments results have shown, that an ice cover and its seasonal evolution rather strongly depend on varied parameters. The spatial and seasonal structure of changes has rather complex ...