Analytical Study of an Isotropic Viscoplastic Sea Ice Model in Idealized Configurations

Abstract

AbstractAnalytic solutions of a mechanical sea ice model are computed in idealized configurations. They are then used to study the properties of this model. It classically assumes that the ice behaves at large scale as an isotropic viscoplastic medium. The plastic regime is characterized by a Mohr–Coulomb yield curve. The flow rule corresponds to the one used in granular mediums and depends on a parameter δ that characterizes the expansion properties of the medium. Using simple model configurations, this study first shows that a sliding of the ice along the coast must be permitted; otherwise, the model generally has no solution when the plastic regime is active. This study then shows that the viscous regime is reached only if the stress remains nearly uniform over a large area. For a stress having no particular properties, the plastic regime acts everywhere. In this case, the compressive stress may reach the maximum value allowed by the model close to the coastline. The extension of the domain where the compressive stress is at its maximum depends on δ and the direction of the forcing field. Over this domain, the ice behaves as a fluid material with a small negative viscosity. Last, the authors found that neither the existence of the solution nor its unicity are guaranteed in this stationary model. This result does not imply that the unicity is lost in the transient problem; it suggests that the evolution of sea ice depends not only on the forcing, but also on the initial conditions or history of the system.