A Diagnostic Ice–Ocean Model

Abstract

Abstract A coupled ice–ocean model suitable for simulating ice–ocean circulation over a seasonal cycle is developed by coupling the dynamic thermodynamic sea ice model of Hibler with a multilevel baroclinic ocean model (Bryan). This model is used to investigate the effect of ocean circulation on seasonal sea ice simulations by carrying out a simulation of the Arctic, Greenland and Norwegian seas. The ocean model contains a linear term that damps the ocean's temperature and salinity towards climatology. The damping term was chosen to have a three-year relaxation time, equivalent to the adjustment time of the pack ice. No damping, however, was applied to the uppermost layer of the ocean model, which is in direct contact with the moving pack ice. This damping procedure allows seasonal and shorter time-scale variability to be simulated in the ocean, but does not allow the model to drift away from ocean climatology on longer time scales. For the standard experiment, an initial integration of five years was per...