Reflection and transmission of ocean wave spectra by a band of randomly distributed ice floes

A new ocean wave/sea-ice interaction model is proposed that simulates how a directional wave spectrum evolves as it travels through an arbitrary finite array of circular ice floes, where wave/ice dynamics are entirely governed by wave-scattering effects. The model is applied to characterize the wave...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of Glaciology
Main Authors: Montiel, F., Squire, V., Bennetts, L.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: International Glaciological Society 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2440/96371
https://doi.org/10.3189/2015AoG69A556
Description
Summary:A new ocean wave/sea-ice interaction model is proposed that simulates how a directional wave spectrum evolves as it travels through an arbitrary finite array of circular ice floes, where wave/ice dynamics are entirely governed by wave-scattering effects. The model is applied to characterize the wave reflection and transmission properties of a strip of ice floes, such as an ice edge band. A method is devised to extract the reflected and transmitted directional wave spectra produced by the array. The method builds upon an integral mapping from polar to Cartesian coordinates of the scattered wave components. Sensitivity tests are conducted for a row of floes randomly perturbed from a regular arrangement. Results for random arrays are generated using ensemble averaging. A realistic ice edge band is then reconstructed from field experiment data. Simulations show good qualitative agreement with the data in terms of transmitted wave energy and directional spreading. In particular, it is observed that short waves become isotropic quickly after penetrating the ice field. Fabien Montiel, Vernon A. Squire, Luke G. Bennetts