The vertical age profile in sea ice: Theory and numerical results
The sea ice age is an interesting diagnostic tool because it may provide a proxy for the sea ice thickness and is easier to infer from observations than the sea ice thickness. Remote sensing algorithms and modeling approaches proposed in the literature indicate significant methodological uncertainti...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/90369 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2011.09.002 |
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ftunistlouisbrus:oai:dial.uclouvain.be:boreal:90369 2024-05-12T08:00:32+00:00 The vertical age profile in sea ice: Theory and numerical results Lietaer, Olivier Deleersnijder, Eric Fichefet, Thierry Vancoppenolle, Martin Comblen, Richard Bouillon, Sylvain Legat, Vincent UCL - SST/IMMC/MEMA - Applied mechanics and mathematics UCL - SST/ELI/ELIC - Earth & Climate 2011 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/90369 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2011.09.002 eng eng Elsevier Inc. boreal:90369 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/90369 doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2011.09.002 urn:ISSN:1463-5003 urn:EISSN:1463-5011 info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Ocean Modelling, Vol. 40, no. 3-4, p. 211-226 (2011) info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2011 ftunistlouisbrus https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2011.09.002 2024-04-18T18:07:58Z The sea ice age is an interesting diagnostic tool because it may provide a proxy for the sea ice thickness and is easier to infer from observations than the sea ice thickness. Remote sensing algorithms and modeling approaches proposed in the literature indicate significant methodological uncertainties, leading to different ice age values and physical interpretations. In this work, we focus on the vertical age distribution in sea ice. Based on the age theory developed for marine modeling, we propose a vertically-variable sea ice age definition which gives a measure of the time elapsed since the accretion of the ice particle under consideration. An analytical solution is derived from Stefan’s law for a horizontally homogeneous ice layer with a periodic ice thickness seasonal cycle. Two numerical methods to solve the age equation are proposed. In the first one, the domain is discretized adaptively in space thanks to Lagrangian particles in order to capture the age profile and its discontinuities. The second one focuses on the mean age of the ice using as few degrees of freedom as possible and is based on an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) spatial discretization and the finite element method. We observe an excellent agreement between the Lagrangian particles and the analytical solution. The mean value and the standard deviation of the finite element solution agree with the analytical solution and a linear approximation is found to represent the age profile the better, the older the ice gets. Both methods are finally applied to a stand-alone thermodynamic sea ice model of the Arctic. Computing the vertically-averaged ice age reduces by a factor of about 2 the simulated ice age compared to the oldest particle of the ice columns. A high correlation is found between the ice thickness and the age of the oldest particle. However, whether or not this will remain valid once ice dynamics is included should be investigated. In addition, the present study, based on thermodynamics only, does not support a single ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Sea ice DIAL@USL-B (Université Saint-Louis, Bruxelles) Arctic Ocean Modelling 40 3-4 211 226 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
DIAL@USL-B (Université Saint-Louis, Bruxelles) |
op_collection_id |
ftunistlouisbrus |
language |
English |
description |
The sea ice age is an interesting diagnostic tool because it may provide a proxy for the sea ice thickness and is easier to infer from observations than the sea ice thickness. Remote sensing algorithms and modeling approaches proposed in the literature indicate significant methodological uncertainties, leading to different ice age values and physical interpretations. In this work, we focus on the vertical age distribution in sea ice. Based on the age theory developed for marine modeling, we propose a vertically-variable sea ice age definition which gives a measure of the time elapsed since the accretion of the ice particle under consideration. An analytical solution is derived from Stefan’s law for a horizontally homogeneous ice layer with a periodic ice thickness seasonal cycle. Two numerical methods to solve the age equation are proposed. In the first one, the domain is discretized adaptively in space thanks to Lagrangian particles in order to capture the age profile and its discontinuities. The second one focuses on the mean age of the ice using as few degrees of freedom as possible and is based on an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) spatial discretization and the finite element method. We observe an excellent agreement between the Lagrangian particles and the analytical solution. The mean value and the standard deviation of the finite element solution agree with the analytical solution and a linear approximation is found to represent the age profile the better, the older the ice gets. Both methods are finally applied to a stand-alone thermodynamic sea ice model of the Arctic. Computing the vertically-averaged ice age reduces by a factor of about 2 the simulated ice age compared to the oldest particle of the ice columns. A high correlation is found between the ice thickness and the age of the oldest particle. However, whether or not this will remain valid once ice dynamics is included should be investigated. In addition, the present study, based on thermodynamics only, does not support a single ... |
author2 |
UCL - SST/IMMC/MEMA - Applied mechanics and mathematics UCL - SST/ELI/ELIC - Earth & Climate |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lietaer, Olivier Deleersnijder, Eric Fichefet, Thierry Vancoppenolle, Martin Comblen, Richard Bouillon, Sylvain Legat, Vincent |
spellingShingle |
Lietaer, Olivier Deleersnijder, Eric Fichefet, Thierry Vancoppenolle, Martin Comblen, Richard Bouillon, Sylvain Legat, Vincent The vertical age profile in sea ice: Theory and numerical results |
author_facet |
Lietaer, Olivier Deleersnijder, Eric Fichefet, Thierry Vancoppenolle, Martin Comblen, Richard Bouillon, Sylvain Legat, Vincent |
author_sort |
Lietaer, Olivier |
title |
The vertical age profile in sea ice: Theory and numerical results |
title_short |
The vertical age profile in sea ice: Theory and numerical results |
title_full |
The vertical age profile in sea ice: Theory and numerical results |
title_fullStr |
The vertical age profile in sea ice: Theory and numerical results |
title_full_unstemmed |
The vertical age profile in sea ice: Theory and numerical results |
title_sort |
vertical age profile in sea ice: theory and numerical results |
publisher |
Elsevier Inc. |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/90369 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2011.09.002 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Arctic Sea ice |
op_source |
Ocean Modelling, Vol. 40, no. 3-4, p. 211-226 (2011) |
op_relation |
boreal:90369 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/90369 doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2011.09.002 urn:ISSN:1463-5003 urn:EISSN:1463-5011 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2011.09.002 |
container_title |
Ocean Modelling |
container_volume |
40 |
container_issue |
3-4 |
container_start_page |
211 |
op_container_end_page |
226 |
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1798842432492666880 |