Ice Drift Velocity Research Articles

High-resolution regional sea-ice model based on the discrete element method with boundary conditions from a large-scale model for ice drift

Abstract Understanding sea-ice dynamics at the floe scale is crucial to comprehend polar climate systems. While continuum models are commonly used to simulate large-scale sea-ice dynamics, they have limitations in accurately representing sea-ice behaviour at small scales. DEMs, on the other hand, are well-suited for modelling the behaviour of individual ice floes but face limitations due to computational constraints. To address the limitations of both approaches while combining their strengths, we explored the feasibility of using a DEM within a continuum model, where the latter provides boundary conditions for a rectangular high-resolution DEM domain. This paper presents a feasibility study where a discrete model of a 100 × 100 km2 icefield was created using high-resolution optical satellite imagery. Sea-ice dynamics were simulated in the DEM considering environmental forces and integrating large-scale ice-drift velocities as boundary conditions. Model predictions were compared with satellite observations for ice drift and deformation parameters. This numerical approach showed potential for offering accurate, high-resolution predictions of sea ice, particularly in coastal areas and near islands, and may find applications in ice navigation and climate studies. However, further development of the DEM, along with upgrades to the coupled ocean models providing data for the ice component, may be necessary. Additionally, challenges remain to develop a two-way coupling between the DEM and a continuum model, which may be needed to improve the accuracy of large-scale simulations.

Comparison of Doppler-Derived Sea Ice Radial Surface Velocity Measurement Methods From Sentinel-1A IW Data

The near-instantaneous radial velocity of a target can be obtained using the Doppler effect of SAR, which is widely used in ocean current retrieval. However, in sea ice drift velocity measurements, only a Doppler centroid estimation algorithm in frequency domain has been studied, so whether there is a better algorithm is worth exploring. In this study, based on Sentinel-1A IW data, three Doppler centroid estimation algorithms applied to ocean current retrieval are selected. Combined with the characteristics of the TOPS mode, made two applicability adjustments to each algorithm, and finally applied the three algorithms to sea ice radial surface velocity measurements. The first adjustment is to explore and determine the optimal parameters. The second adjustment is to use parallel computing to improve the efficiency, which is improved by an average of 43.55%. In addition, the deviation of Doppler centroid estimation bias correction is verified using rainforest data, and the deviation is controlled at approximately 3 Hz. Based on the three algorithms, five sets of experiments are carried out in this study. By analyzing and comparing the results of each algorithm, it is found that the results of the three algorithms are relatively consistent, among which the correlation Doppler estimation algorithm has the advantages of high efficiency and high precision and is the most suitable method for sea ice drift measurement among the three methods. However, for SAR images with abnormal speckles caused by human activities, the sign Doppler estimation algorithm can effectively remove abnormal speckles and ensure the smoothness of the image with better adaptability.

Representation of sea ice regimes in the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica, based on satellite imagery and AMPS wind data

Sea ice drift data at high spatial resolution and surface wind model output are used to explore atmosphere-sea ice interactions in the Western Ross Sea including the three main polynyas areas; McMurdo Sound polynya (MSP), Terra Nova Bay polynya (TNBP), and the Ross Sea polynya (RSP). This study quantifies the relationship between the winds and sea ice drift and observes the average and annual anomalies across the region. Sea ice drift velocities are based on high-resolution (150 m) Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images from Envisat for winters between 2002 and 2012. Sea ice motion vectors were first correlated with the corresponding Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) surface wind velocities, and the sensitivity of the spatial correlations and residuals were examined. Four drift parameters were selected (mean drift, the correlation between drift and wind, drift to wind scaling factor, and the directional drift constancy) to perform an unsupervised k-means classification to automatically distinguish six zones of distinctive sea ice characteristics solely based on ice drift and wind information. Results indicate a heterogeneous pattern of sea ice movement at a rate ranging from 0.41 to 2.24% of the wind speed in different areas. We also find that the directional constancy of sea ice drift is closely related to the wind fields. Sea ice drift and wind velocities display the highest correlation in free-drift areas (R = 0.70), followed by deformational drift zones (R = 0.54), and more random drift areas (R = 0.28). The classification illustrates the significance of localized wind-driven sea ice drift in this coastal area resulting in zones of convergence, shear, and free drift. The results also indicate that the most persistent patterns of sea ice motion are near the RSP and TNBP areas, both being driven by strong localized winds. Our findings identify that large-scale sea ice motion is predominantly wind-driven over much of the study area while ocean currents play only a minor role.

Experimental study of wave transmission and drift velocity using freely floating synthetic ice floes

Wave–ice interactions were investigated experimentally to understand the waves transmitted by the freely floating model ice floes and mean drift velocity of them in a three-dimensional wave basin. The experiments were conducted using square synthetic ice floes made of low-density polyethylene under regular incident waves having different periods and steepnesses. To determine the transmission coefficient (Tc), the wave measurement system was used to observe regular incident wave profiles without model ice floes and wave profiles transmitted by model ice floes varying with three ice-covered lengths and three ice concentrations. A digital camera was used to record the displacement of the model ice floes at the same ice-covered lengths and ice concentrations, and its images were used to calculate the ice concentration and the mean drift velocity of the model ice floes. Also, the effects of the height of waves on the transmission coefficient and on the mean velocity of the ice drift were investigated for some test conditions. The results showed that Tc increased as the wave period increased and that it decreased as the ice concentration and ice-covered length increased. The transmitted wave energy proportion for model ice floes decreased as the wave steepness increased. The mean ice drift velocity normalized by wave celerity (uice/U) was shown to increase as wave steepness increased, and the effect of the ice concentration on uice/U was very small. The value of uice/U was compared with the theoretical Stokes drift velocity normalized by wave celerity, and the difference between them decreased as the wave height increased. uice/U showed good agreement with the mean drift velocity of a single ice floe at lower wave steepness.

Performance quantification of icebreaker operations in ice management by numerical simulations

The paper addresses the problem of quantifying and assessing the effectiveness of icebreaker operations in ice management (IM) using a high-fidelity simulator. The numerical model includes an accurate geometric representation of an icebreaker, a cylindrical protected structure, and a synthetic ice environment. A set of key performance indicators (KPIs) are defined and proposed to quantify the effectiveness of IM strategies for protecting the downstream structure. This give better insight into which IM strategies are more effective with respect to different objectives for certain conditions, thereby enabling better planning and guidance of icebreaker operations.The results from a selection of the simulations performed with nearly 100% ice concentration are presented. This will illustrate the methodology using the different KPIs to quantify the effectiveness and highlight differences between the different IM strategies. From the simulations we see that all patterns have strengths and weaknesses; some KPIs are consistent while others are changing with the ice drift velocity.

Observed Antarctic sea ice expansion reproduced in a climate model after correcting biases in sea ice drift velocity

The Antarctic sea ice area expanded significantly during 1979–2015. This is at odds with state-of-the-art climate models, which typically simulate a receding Antarctic sea ice cover in response to increasing greenhouse forcing. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that this discrepancy between models and observations occurs due to simulation biases in the sea ice drift velocity. As a control we use the Community Earth System Model (CESM) Large Ensemble, which has 40 realizations of past and future climate change that all undergo Antarctic sea ice retreat during recent decades. We modify CESM to replace the simulated sea ice velocity field with a satellite-derived estimate of the observed sea ice motion, and we simulate 3 realizations of recent climate change. We find that the Antarctic sea ice expands in all 3 of these realizations, with the simulated spatial structure of the expansion bearing resemblance to observations. The results suggest that the reason CESM has failed to capture the observed Antarctic sea ice expansion is due to simulation biases in the sea ice drift velocity, implying that an improved representation of sea ice motion is crucial for more accurate sea ice projections.

Statistical results of the numerical model of sea ice drift extremes in the south-western part of the Kara Sea

The aim of the study was to identify the basic characteristics of ice drift in the south-western Kara Sea and to estimate the extreme drift speed of given probability, including its spatial variability and statistical correlation with the main drift-forming factors. In order to obtain the ice drift data, the numerical dynamic-thermodynamic model of ice cover evolution developed in AARI was used. Its basic specific feature is imitation of ice cover with the help of so-called markers (conventional ice floes). Using three variants of the model grid net (25, 12.5 and 5 km), the ice conditions in the Baidara Bay and the adjoining area in January-March 2018 were simulated. The analysis of the simulation results showed that the average ice drift (average ice transport) is directed from the Baidara Bay to the open sea, i.e. northward with slight deviations mostly to the west. A less detailed grid net results in a smoothed ice drift field, while an increase in the spatial resolution of the model increases the spatial contrasts of the ice drift. The maximum values of the extreme ice drift velocity expressed as “once per N years” occur in the northern part of the model area at the directions of the north-western quarter (up to 1.5-1.8 m/s “once per 10 years” - “once per 100 years”, respectively). The frequency of ice drift velocity exceeding 0.3 m/s is about 4-7 %, and that of ice drift velocity exceeding 0.6 m/s is not more than 1 %. At low drift velocity, the role of inertia is very high, but as the drift rate grows, the inertia contribution decreases noticeably. At increasing drift velocity, the statistical correlation between the ice drift (on the one hand) and the wind, current and sea level tilt (on the other hand) becomes evident. This effect is especially evident for the correlation “drift / wind”. The correlation “drift / ice pressure” depends on the drift speed more or less noticeably at low and high drift speeds, when unidirectional changes of the ice drift and ice pressure happen more often than the opposite ones. At the drift velocities within 0.15-0.60 m\s, the correlation between the ice drift and ice pressure is insignificant, i.e. the unidirectional and opposite changes of the ice drift and ice pressure are almost equally likely.

Remote Sensing of Ice Phenology and Dynamics of Europe’s Largest Coastal Lagoon (The Curonian Lagoon)

A first-ever spatially detailed record of ice cover conditions in the Curonian Lagoon (CL), Europe’s largest coastal lagoon located in the southeastern Baltic Sea, is presented. The multi-mission synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements acquired in 2002–2017 by Envisat ASAR, RADARSAT-2, Sentinel-1 A/B, and supplemented by the cloud-free moderate imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, are used to document the ice cover properties in the CL. As shown, satellite observations reveal a better performance over in situ records in defining the key stages of ice formation and decay in the CL. Using advantages of both data sources, an updated ice season duration (ISD) record is obtained to adequately describe the ice cover season in the CL. High-resolution ISD maps provide important spatial details of ice growth and decay in the CL. As found, ice cover resides longest in the south-eastern CL and along the eastern coast, including the Nemunas Delta, while the shortest ice season is observed in the northern CL. During the melting season, the ice melt pattern is clearly shaped by the direction of prevailing winds, and ice drift velocities obtained from a limited number of observations range within 0.03–0.14 m/s. The pronounced shortening of the ice season duration in the CL is observed at a rate of 1.6–2.3 days year‒1 during 2002–2017, which is much higher than reported for the nearby Baltic Sea regions. While the timing of the freeze onset and full freezing has not changed much, the dates of the final melt onset and last observation of ice have a clear decreasing pattern toward an earlier ice break-up and complete melt-off due to an increase of air temperature strongly linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Notably, the correlation between the ISD, air temperature, and winter NAO index is substantially higher when considering the lagoon-averaged ISD values derived from satellite observations compared to those derived from coastal records. The latter clearly demonstrated the richness of the satellite observations that should definitely be exploited in regional ice monitoring programs.

High resolution modeling of western Alaskan tides and storm surge under varying sea ice conditions

A depth-integrated high resolution (down to 25–50 m) tide and storm surge model has been developed for the Alaska region with a focus on the coasts of western Alaska. The model uses the ADCIRC basin-to-channel scale unstructured grid circulation code forced with Climate Forecast System version 2 reanalysis meteorology. The tidal solution has been validated at 121 shelf and nearshore stations, with lower overall errors than a data assimilated tidal model (FES2012). The ADCIRC model shows considerable skill at simulating tide and coastal surge, and resulting overland flooding on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, during both summer and winter storms. The root-mean-square-error of the model does not exceed 20 cm at any station, outperforming the Global Ocean Forecasting System (GOFS 3.1), a 1/12∘ data assimilated ocean general circulation model which is coupled to sea ice physics. The ADCIRC model incorporates the effect of sea ice through parameterizations of the wind drag coefficient, modifying the air–sea momentum transfer under ice coverage. Three large winter storms with distinctly different ice coverages along the coasts of western Alaska were chosen to exhibit the variable effect of sea ice on the resulting storm surge. Under forming coastal ice coverage, local increases in water levels due to ice is seen in coastal areas, and under predominantly dense pack ice, an increase in momentum transfer in the marginal sea ice at the shelf break leads to an increase in sea levels across the entire Bering Sea, both commensurate with observations. Under the most variable ice fields, results are mixed, in part due to uncertainties in the air–sea–ice drag parameterization such as related to the assumption that sea ice drift and wind velocities are always well correlated. Including a description of sea ice drift and current speeds explicitly in the air–sea–ice drag formulation and considering wave–surge–ice interaction should improve the description of momentum transferred to the water column and resulting simulation of surge.

Arctic summer sea-ice seasonal simulation with a coupled model: Evaluation of mean features and biases

Current state of the art weather/climate models are representation of the fully coupled aspects of the components of the earth system. Sea-ice is one of the most important components of these models. Simulation of sea-ice in these models is a challenging problem. In this study, evaluation of the hind-cast data of 14 boreal summer seasons with global coupled model HadGEM3 in its seasonal set-up has been performed over the Arctic region from \(9\mathrm{th}\) May start dates. Along with the biases of the sea-ice variables, related atmosphere and oceanic variables have also been examined. The model evaluation is focused on seasonal mean of sea-ice concentration, sea-ice thickness, ocean surface current, SST, ice-drift velocity and sea-ice extent. To diagnose the sea-ice biases, atmospheric variables like, 10 m wind, 2 m air temperature, sea-level pressure and ocean sub-surface temperatures were also examined. The sea-ice variables were compared with GIOMAS dataset. The atmospheric and the oceanic variables were compared with the ERA Interim and the ECMWF Ocean re-analysis (ORAP5) datasets, respectively. The model could simulate the sea-ice concentration and thickness patterns reasonably well in the Arctic Circle. However, both sea-ice concentration and thickness in the model are underestimated compared to observations. A positive (warm) bias is seen both in 2 m air temperature and SST, which are consistent with the negative sea-ice bias. Biases in ocean current and related ice drift are not related to biases in the atmospheric winds. The magnitude of the oceanic subsurface warm biases is seen to be gradually decreasing with depth, but consistent with sea-ice biases. These analyses indicate a possibility of deeper warm subsurface water in the western Arctic Ocean sector (Pacific and Atlantic exchanges) affecting the negative biases in the sea-ice at the surface. The model is able to simulate reasonably well the summer sea-ice melting process and its inter-annual variability, and has useable skill for application purpose.

An Ice-Drift Estimation Algorithm Using Radar and Ship Motion Measurements

This paper presents a novel automatic real-time remote sensing algorithm that uses radar images and global positioning satellite system measurements to estimate the ice-drift velocity vector in a region around a free-floating and potentially moving vessel. It is motivated by the low image frequency of satellite systems together with the inconvenience of deploying and retrieving ice trackers (beacons) on the ice. The algorithm combines radar image processing with two Kalman filters to produce the estimated local drift vector decoupled from the ship motion. The proposed design is verified using a full-scale data set from an ice management operation north of Svalbard in 2015. It is found that the performance of the algorithm is comparable with that of trackers on the ice.

Comparing SAR-Based Short Time-Lag Cross Correlation and Doppler-Derived Sea Ice Drift Velocities

This paper shows initial results from estimating Doppler radial surface velocities (RVLs) over Arctic sea ice using the Sentinel-1A (S1A) satellite. Our study presents the first quantitative comparison between ice drift derived from the Doppler shifts and drift derived using time-series methods over comparable time scales. We compare the Doppler-derived ice velocities with global positioning system tracks from a drifting ice station as well as vector fields derived using traditional cross correlation between a pair of S1A and Radarsat-2 images with a time lag of only 25 min. A strategy is provided for precise calibration of the Doppler values in the context of the S1A level-2 ocean RVL product. When comparing the two methods, root-mean-squared errors (RMSEs) of 7 cm/s were found for the extra wide (EW4) and EW5 swaths, while the highest RMSE of 32 cm/s was obtained for the EW1 swath. Though the agreement is not perfect, our experiment demonstrates that the Doppler technique is capable of measuring a signal from the ice if the ice is fast moving. However, for typical ice speeds, the uncertainties quickly grow beyond the speeds we are trying to measure. Finally, we show how the application of an antenna pattern correction reduces a bias in the estimated Doppler offsets.

Mirror image technique for the thermal analysis in cryoablation: Experimental setup and validation

The paper presents a set of experiments that were performed to characterize the freezing front propagation in water first, and in an agar-gel solution afterwards. The experimental setup made of Peltier devices, to emulate the cryogenic effect, and a copper cold finger, to mimic the cold probe interface, are described. We claim that by monitoring some temperatures at the generating cryodevice, several pieces of information can be derived through the cold interface to assess the outside thermodynamic changes. The employed technique, known as mirror image, allows determining the occurrence of the initial ice formation outside the cryo-probe and in the surrounding material, also with different magnitudes of the thermal contact resistance at the cold interface. For both water and agar the ice penetration was found to be non linear versus time, and proportional to the square root of time in the performed experiments. The ice drift velocity decreases according to its penetration inside the tested materials. At the beginning of ice formation, the measured drift velocities are approximately 0.11 mm/s and 0.06 mm/s for water and agar, respectively, and after the ice penetrates 2 mm, they become approximately 0.03 mm/s for both materials.

Capillary-Porous Effects in Concrete during Ice Abrasion

The ice drift velocities up to 2 m/s in the Sea of Okhotsk can cause severe abrasion due to mechanical contact with offshore concrete structures. The abrasion process of concrete includes cement paste and aggregate particles removed from the concrete surface. Testing procedures in the ice abrasion laboratory of Far Eastern Federal University coupled to a numerical simulation model of ice sheet-structure contact are described. The existing models account only for mechanical ice-concrete interaction, ignoring water flow into the concrete surface due to hydraulic pressure, substructure of ice feature on ice-structures interface. Theoretical and experimental research comprises the study of physical and mechanical as well as hydraulic porous processes resulting in the gradual structure refusal which is linked with emerging significant pulsating pressures in the contact layer of interacting work material. The obtained results will contribute to the development of effective protective means against ice abrasion.

Experimental observations on the ice pile-up in the conductor array of a jacket platform in Bohai Sea

Massive ice pile-ups have been frequently observed in the conductor array of offshore jacket platforms in Bohai Sea. Once formed, such rubble piles were very difficult to clear manually and therefore studies on the ice rubble piles and their forming process were needed. This study investigates the ice pile-up behavior in the conductor array of a jacket platform in Bohai Sea by conducting a series of model tests in the ice tank at Tianjin University. The laboratory-scale model jacket was mounted on a rigid carriage and towed through the ice sheet at different speeds, directions and water levels. Observations on the test phenomena indicated that the water level and ice attack direction had a significant influence on the ice failures in front of the ice-breaking cones and the conductor array, thereby resulting in different ice pile-up patterns in the conductor array. The ice drift velocity only affects the pile-up dimensions, normally higher ice velocity resulting in higher pile-up heights. Also, based on the measured ice pile-up dimensions, the distribution of the ice rubble pile in the conductor array was found to be non-homogeneous, both laterally and longitudinally, and the rubble pile was found “grounded” on the bottom of the model conductor array in some cases, which might bring about additional load to the jacket structure. Furthermore, the horizontal ice forces acting on the conductor array due to ice rubble building were also measured, and comparisons of the ice forces based on the present tests with the calculated results from ISO algorithm were made. The R value of 5–6 might be more applicable for the present structure under the present ice conditions.

Regime characteristics and patterns of the sea ice drift on the shelf at Magadan in the Okhotsk Sea

The sea ice characteristics and drift patterns are considered for the Okhotsk Sea shelf at Magadan on retrospective data of the ice observations and satellite images. Spatial heterogeneity of the sea ice parameters and its drift is shown. Phases of the sea ice seasonal variation in this area could differ from year to year in 10-20 days on spatial scale of hundreds kilometers and the ice age, form and concentration vary in 10-50 % within the seasonal cycle. The ice drift velocity averaged for 6 or 10 days varied from 1.3 to 12.5 km/day in the winter of 2015; the highest velocity 0.75 m/s was registered on March 12 by comparing two satellite images with time interval of 110 min.

Seasonal and interannual variability of the Arctic sea ice: A comparison between AO-FVCOM and observations

A high-resolution (up to 2 km), unstructured-grid, fully ice-sea coupled Arctic Ocean Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model (AO-FVCOM) was used to simulate the sea ice in the Arctic over the period 1978–2014. The spatial-varying horizontal model resolution was designed to better resolve both topographic and baroclinic dynamics scales over the Arctic slope and narrow straits. The model-simulated sea ice was in good agreement with available observed sea ice extent, concentration, drift velocity and thickness, not only in seasonal and interannual variability but also in spatial distribution. Compared with six other Arctic Ocean models (ECCO2, GSFC, INMOM, ORCA, NAME, and UW), the AO-FVCOM-simulated ice thickness showed a higher mean correlation coefficient of ∼0.63 and a smaller residual with observations. Model-produced ice drift speed and direction errors varied with wind speed: the speed and direction errors increased and decreased as the wind speed increased, respectively. Efforts were made to examine the influences of parameterizations of air-ice external and ice-water interfacial stresses on the model-produced bias. The ice drift direction was more sensitive to air-ice drag coefficients and turning angles than the ice drift speed. Increasing or decreasing either 10% in water-ice drag coefficient or 10° in water-ice turning angle did not show a significant influence on the ice drift velocity simulation results although the sea ice drift speed was more sensitive to these two parameters than the sea ice drift direction. Using the COARE 4.0-derived parameterization of air-water drag coefficient for wind stress did not significantly influence the ice drift velocity simulation.

Novel, direct observations of ice on Lake Superior during the high ice coverage of winter 2013–2014

Abstract During the 2013–2014 winter, the Lake Superior basin experienced record-low air temperatures and record-high ice cover. We present observations from three subsurface moorings which provided a novel view of the ice cover during this extreme winter. Each mooring carried a set of thermistors, and two sites had ADCPs, providing a rare glimpse into the subsurface characteristics and behavior of a large, partially ice-covered lake, including ice drift velocity, keel size and abundance, surface gravity wave suppression, and passive acoustics below the ice sheet. Ice drift velocities were well correlated with nearby wind velocities, with ice speeds approximately 4% of the wind speed and 20° to the right of the wind direction. Passing ice keels displaced the top subsurface float at the western mooring to depths of 6 m on a regular basis, and up to 11 m during one event. Anomalously large signal return strength at two ADCPs occurred sporadically at roughly the same time at two geographically separate locations, but only during periods of ice cover. The distribution of signal strength with depth suggests that these events are actually sounds from the ice cover itself, rather than reflectors in the water. Broadly speaking, ice cover on Lake Superior has more in common with oceanic ice cover than with ice cover on small lakes.

Computation of extreme ice drift velocities on the northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island from radar measurements

The technology ofthe method of joint probabilities ofthe tidal and residual (de-tided) components developed to estimate the possible sea level fluctuations [1, 10] and modified to calculate rare extreme total sea current velocities [8], is applied to compute ice drift velocity on the northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island. The initial data are the hourly series of the drift velocity vector obtained from radar observations at Odoptu coastal station (1986-1996, during the whole ice season) and at the Molikpaq drilling platform (in May in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2006). The distribution of the tidal component was determined by the prediction of the corresponding series for 19 years that is possible due to the stability of characteristics of the tidal drift. The distribution of the residual component was estimated by combining all de-tided series for the entire time period. The obtained estimates of total ice drift velocities of rare occurrence are in good agreement with those presented in [8] and can be used for designing facilities for the extraction and transportation of hydrocarbons on the northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island.

Model Tests With a Compliant Cylindrical Structure to Investigate Ice-Induced Vibrations

A compliant cylindrical structure has been built and tested in a series of model tests in ice in the Large Ice Model Basin at HSVA. The structure's stiffness in ice plane is higher in ice drift direction than crosswise, enabling the model to vibrate in different geometrical oscillation patterns. In total, four ice sheets have been used to perform tests in different ice thickness, covering a wide range of ice drift velocities between 0.005 and 0.15 m/s in model scale. Several events of ice-induced vibrations were observed throughout the test campaign. Oscillations are found to reach different types of beginning steady states, depending on ice drift velocity and ice thickness. Dynamic amplification of structural response in ice plane as well as ratio of static and dynamic forces is highly dependent on the type of vibration. While the dynamic amplification is highest when the ice load's frequency equals the first natural frequency of the structure, the highest dynamic forces occur when the crushing frequency is an integer fraction of the natural frequency. The paper describes the design of the test setup, instrumentation and calibration, performance and analysis of conducted tests, and general findings.