Simulated Annual and Seasonal Arctic Ocean and Sea-Ice Variability From a High Resolution, Coupled Ice-Ocean Model

• Main Author: Marble, Douglas C.
• Other Authors: NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *OCEAN MODELS; *SEA ICE; *ARCTIC OCEAN; THERMAL PROPERTIES; SIMULATION; DIGITAL SYSTEMS; GLOBAL; OCEAN CURRENTS; THESES; PARALLEL PROCESSING; HIGH RESOLUTION; VARIATIONS; BATHYMETRY; SEASONAL VARIATIONS; INTEGRATION; SALINITY; CLIMATOLOGY; WATER MASSES; TRANSFORMATIONS; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Climate change; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA397317; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA397317

The role of the Arctic Ocean in global thermohaline circulation and climate change is not well understood, High resolution, physically realistic simulations of the Arctic Ocean, calibrated and validated with observations and palco-climate data, may provide the spatial and temporal coverage and resolution to more accurately characterize Arctic Ocean circulation, large-scale inter-ocean exchanges and allow future conditions to be projected correctly. A 1/12-degree (^9 km) resolution coupled ice-ocean model, optimized for massively parallel computers, was developed. The model employs the latest digital bathymetry and ocean climatology available. Decades of model integration using climatological and realistic daily varying atmospheric forcing were performed. Comparisons of model output with climatic atlases and observations indicate greatly improved representation of circulation, ocean and sea-ice characteristics, mass and property transports and water mass transformations. Areas where model physics and resolution improvements are needed are highlighted as well.