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Hydrodynamic modeling of changes in sea ice and their impact on ocean dynamics

Task C will investigate sea-ice and ocean processes by use of high-resolution numerical simulations, in particular to understand the impact of polynyas, sea-ice formation and a changing sea-ice cover on ocean dynamics. Numerical models are important tools to study physical processes and to forecast future sea-ice/ocean systems under changing environ-mental conditions. However, the relevant scales of high-latitude processes are small and often not sufficiently resolved, which is what will be aimed at in this task. The simulations will be based on model configurations from the models NEMO and FESOM. Global NEMO and FESOM simulations are planned for the periods of 2010-2019 and 1979-2019, respectively, in order to produce 2-to-4-km resolutions for the Arctic. The ocean-model performance will be verified with the oceanographic observations from ocean observatories and expeditions. Sea-ice concentration, drift and volume are crucial model parameters and will be remotely sensed with satellites and locally measured at the ocean observatories with ADCPs (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) and upward-looking sonars. Overall, the model results will provide longer-term insights regarding the impact of changing sea-ice conditions on the oceanic environment of the Laptev Sea.

Some expected scientific outcomes include detailed knowledge (a) of the development of seasonal warming events with further extensions of the open-water season, (b) of the for-mation and propagation of dense shelf waters during a changing climate and (c) of changes in vertical and horizontal dispersion of river-derived waters including their biogeochemical composition.

This task will rely on numerical ocean and sea-ice simulations using NEMO and FESOM, which will be verified against oceanographic measurements carried out in Tasks A and B and sea-ice information derived from satellites and the ocean observatories.

AARI scientists will be responsible for the model configuration and simulations and sub-sequent analyses of model results of NEMO while the Trier University team is responsible for the sea-ice/ocean model FESOM. Hamburg University scientists will carry out the satellite-based studies on sea-ice drift and thickness while AWI scientists provide the locally measured sea-ice information.

 

Task coordinator
Vladimir Ivanov	Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

 

Key collaborators
Anna Danshina	Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Christian Haas	Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Guenther Heinemann	Trier University
Jens Hoelemann	Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Markus Janout	Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Lars Kaleschke	Hamburg University
Torsten Kanzow	Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Thomas Krumpen	Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research