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Calibrating a Viscoelastic Sea Ice Model for Wave Propagation in the Arctic Fall Marginal Ice Zone
Author(s) -
Cheng Sukun,
Rogers W. Erick,
Thomson Jim,
Smith Madison,
Doble Martin J.,
Wadhams Peter,
Kohout Alison L.,
Lund Björn,
Persson Ola P.G.,
Collins Clarence O.,
Ackley Stephen F.,
Montiel Fabien,
Shen Hayley H.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/2017jc013275
Subject(s) - calibration , attenuation , viscoelasticity , hindcast , sea ice , geology , arctic , wavenumber , wave height , significant wave height , remote sensing , geodesy , climatology , meteorology , wind wave , physics , optics , oceanography , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
This paper presents a wave‐in‐ice model calibration study. Data used were collected in the thin ice of the advancing autumn marginal ice zone of the western Arctic Ocean in 2015, where pancake ice was found to be prevalent. Multiple buoys were deployed in seven wave experiments; data from four of these experiments are used in the present study. Wave attenuation coefficients are calculated utilizing wave energy decay between two buoys measuring simultaneously within the ice covered region. Wavenumbers are measured in one of these experiments. Forcing parameters are obtained from simultaneous in‐situ and remote sensing observations, as well as forecast/hindcast models. Cases from three wave experiments are used to calibrate a viscoelastic model for wave attenuation/dispersion in ice cover. The calibration is done by minimizing the difference between modeled and measured complex wavenumber, using a multi‐objective genetic algorithm. The calibrated results are validated using two methods. One is to directly apply the calibrated viscoelastic parameters to one of the wave experiments not used in the calibration and then compare the attenuation from the model with measured data. The other is to use the calibrated viscoelastic model in WAVEWATCH III ® over the entire western Beaufort Sea and then compare the wave spectra at two remote sites not used in the calibration. Both validations show reasonable agreement between the model and the measured data. The completed viscoelastic model is believed to be applicable to the fall marginal ice zone dominated by pancake ice.