Multiscale Models of Melting Arctic Sea Ice

• Main Authors: Golden, Kenneth M, Perovich, Donald K
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Atmospheric Physics; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *ALBEDO; *CLIMATE; *MATHEMATICAL MODELS; *SEA ICE; ARCTIC OCEAN; BOUNDARIES; LIQUID PHASES; MELTING; MELTS; PERCOLATION; PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES; PONDS; SOLID PHASES; MELT PONDS; ICE FLOES; SEA ICE ALBEDO; CLIMATE MODELS; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; albedo; Ice; ice pack; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA617623; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA617623

Sea ice reflectance or albedo, a key parameter in climate modeling, is primarily determined by melt pond and ice floe configurations. Ice-albedo feedback has played a major role in the recent declines of the summer Arctic sea ice pack. However, understanding the evolution of melt ponds and sea ice albedo remains a significant challenge to improving climate models. Our research is focused on obtaining extensive imagery of melt pond evolution, and developing mathematical models of the melting process that can help us better understand the role of sea ice in the climate system, and represent sea ice more rigorously in climate models. Viewed from high above, the melting sea ice surface can be thought of as a two phase composite of ice and melt water. The boundaries between the two phases evolve with increasing complexity and a rapid onset of large scale connectivity, or percolation of the melt phase. We plan to document this phenomenon with photog Prepared in collaboration with the Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.