Recent Research on the Measurement and Modeling of Sea Ice

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Oceanography".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 September 2024 | Viewed by 2336

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Naval Research Laboratory, Ocean Sciences Division, Code 7322, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, USA
Interests: wave modeling and measurement; rogue waves; wave-ice interaction; data assimilation; nearshore processes; sediment transport
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Guest Editor
Ocean Sciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7322, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, USA
Interests: ice thickness; ice; arctic ocean meridional circulation; oceans and seas; north atlantic mesoscale eddy; drifter; mixed layer

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Guest Editor
Department of Arctic Technology, University Center in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway
Interests: ice mechanics; environmental loads on arctic structures; arctic engineering and technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sea ice in the polar oceans plays a crucial role in the Earth's climate system, serving as both a barometer and amplifier of climate change. The ice acts as a reflective shield, reflecting a significant portion of incoming solar radiation back into space and helping to regulate the planet's temperature. The sea ice ecosystem is a unique and dynamic environment that supports a diverse array of organisms, serving as a habitat for species ranging from microscopic algae and bacteria to larger mammals like seals and polar bears. Additionally, sea ice plays a vital role in global ocean circulation patterns, influencing the exchange of heat, salt, and nutrients between the ocean and the atmosphere.

As global mean temperatures continue to rise, the consequent thinning and retreat of the polar ice cover is leading to significant environmental, ecological, and political consequences in polar regions and beyond. Interest is growing in the navigation and development of these regions, which are becoming increasingly crowded with both civilian and military vessels. It is therefore important to improve our understanding of the properties and behavior of sea ice and more effectively predict how it will evolve in the future.

Measurement and modeling of sea ice are crucial for determining and predicting its extent, thickness, and overall health. A wide range of different techniques are used to monitor and quantify sea ice conditions, including satellite observations, ice-penetrating radar and laser altimeters, field expeditions, and autonomous buoys. Continuous advancements in modeling techniques and increased availability of observational data are essential to enhancing our understanding of this critical component of the Earth's cryosphere and informing policy decisions related to climate change and polar environments.

For this Special Issue, we welcome contributions focusing on any aspects of the measurement or modeling of polar sea ice, including but not limited to physical properties, seasonal evolution patterns, present and future extent, the sea ice ecosystem, effects on the polar environment, its role in moderating global climate change, or air–ice–ocean-wave interactions.

Dr. Mark D. Orzech
Dr. David A. Hebert
Prof. Aleksey Marchenko
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sea ice
  • cryosphere
  • forecasting
  • measurement
  • climate change
  • marginal ice zone

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 6685 KiB  
Article
Influence of New Parameterization Schemes on Arctic Sea Ice Simulation
by Yang Lu, Xiaochun Wang, Yijun He, Jiping Liu, Jiangbo Jin, Jian Cao, Juanxiong He, Yongqiang Yu, Xin Gao, Mirong Song and Yiming Zhang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(4), 555; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12040555 - 26 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Two coupled climate models that participated in the CMIP6 project (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6), the Earth System Model of Chinese Academy of Sciences version 2 (CAS-ESM2-0), and the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology Earth System Model version 3 (NESM3) [...] Read more.
Two coupled climate models that participated in the CMIP6 project (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6), the Earth System Model of Chinese Academy of Sciences version 2 (CAS-ESM2-0), and the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology Earth System Model version 3 (NESM3) were assessed in terms of the impact of four new sea ice parameterization schemes. These four new schemes are related to air–ice heat flux, radiation penetration and absorption, melt ponds, and ice–ocean flux, respectively. To evaluate the effectiveness of these schemes, key sea ice variables with and without these new schemes, such as sea ice concentration (SIC) and sea ice thickness (SIT), were compared against observation and reanalysis products from 1980 to 2014. The simulations followed the design of historical experiments within the CMIP6 framework. The results revealed that both models demonstrated improvements in simulating Arctic SIC and SIT when the new parameterization schemes were implemented. The model bias of SIC in some marginal sea ice zones of the Arctic was reduced, especially during March. The SIT was increased and the transpolar gradient of SIT was reproduced. The changes in spatial patterns of SIC and SIT after adding new schemes bear similarities between the two coupled models. This suggests that the new schemes have the potential for broad application in climate models for simulation and future climate scenario projection, especially for those with underestimated SIT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on the Measurement and Modeling of Sea Ice)
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23 pages, 6423 KiB  
Article
Laboratory Investigations of Iceberg Melting under Wave Conditions in Sea Water
by Aleksey Marchenko and Nataliya Marchenko
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(3), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12030501 - 18 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Changes in the masses of icebergs due to deterioration processes affect the drift of icebergs and should be taken into account when assessing iceberg risks in the areas of offshore development. In 2022 and 2023, eight laboratory experiments were carried out in the [...] Read more.
Changes in the masses of icebergs due to deterioration processes affect the drift of icebergs and should be taken into account when assessing iceberg risks in the areas of offshore development. In 2022 and 2023, eight laboratory experiments were carried out in the wave tank of the University Centre in Svalbard to study the melting of icebergs in sea water under calm and rough conditions. In the experiments, the water temperatures varied from 0  to 2.2 . Cylindrical iceberg models were made from columnar ice cores with a diameter of 24 cm. In one experiment, the iceberg model was protected on the sides with plastic fencing to investigate the iceberg’s protection from melting when towed to deliver fresh water. The iceberg masses, water temperatures, and ice temperatures were measured in the experiments. The water velocity near the iceberg models was measured with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. During the experiments, time-lapse cameras were used to describe the shapes and measure the vertical dimensions of the icebergs. Using experimental data, we calculated the horizontal dimensions of icebergs, latent heat fluxes, conductive heat fluxes inside the iceberg models, and turbulent heat fluxes in water as a function of time. We discovered the influence of surface waves and water mixing on the melt rates and found a significant reduction in the melt rates due to the lateral protection of the iceberg model using a plastic barrier. Based on the experimental data obtained, the ratio of the rates of lateral and bottom melting of the icebergs and lateral melting of the icebergs under wave conditions was parametrized depending on the wave frequency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on the Measurement and Modeling of Sea Ice)
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19 pages, 3328 KiB  
Article
A New Method for Modeling Effects of Surface Ice on Waves
by Mark Orzech
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(10), 2017; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11102017 - 20 Oct 2023
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Abstract
Accurate prediction of ocean surface wave attenuation in polar marginal ice zones remains a challenge. In this article, an alternative approach to the problem is introduced, in which the ice layer is represented with a modified version of the vegetation damping parameterization in [...] Read more.
Accurate prediction of ocean surface wave attenuation in polar marginal ice zones remains a challenge. In this article, an alternative approach to the problem is introduced, in which the ice layer is represented with a modified version of the vegetation damping parameterization in a phase-resolved wave model. The new representation is evaluated by comparison to theory and measured data under varied wave and ice conditions. Model-estimated profiles of RMS water velocity and Reynolds stress under ice layers with different drag coefficients are found to be qualitatively comparable to a range of nondimensional profiles computed using viscous layer theory. Modeled profiles appear somewhat vertically “stretched” relative to theoretical results, and in this respect, they more closely resemble measurements obtained during a recent wave–ice laboratory experiment. Estimated values of the wave attenuation coefficient and wavenumber in ice from the adapted model align well with theory and with a range of lab and field datasets. Several additional model ice parameters are available to facilitate a more nuanced representation of surface ice effects and will be investigated further in an upcoming companion study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on the Measurement and Modeling of Sea Ice)
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