In situ observations of wave-induced sea ice breakup

Abstract

Ocean waves can propagate hundreds of kilometers into sea ice, leaving behind a wake of broken ice floes. Three floe breakup events were observed during the second Sea Ice Physics and Ecosystem Experiment (SIPEX-2). We show that the three breakup events were likely influenced by ocean waves. We compare the observations to a wave induced floe breakup model which includes an empirical wave attenuation model, and show that the model underestimates the extent of floe breaking for long period waves.