Laboratory Experiments on Internal Solitary Waves in Ice‐Covered Waters

Abstract

Internal solitary waves (ISWs) propagating in a stably stratified two‐layer fluid in which the upper boundary condition changes from open water to ice are studied for grease, level, and nilas ice. The ISW‐induced current at the surface is capable of transporting the ice in the horizontal direction. In the level ice case, the transport speed of, relatively long ice floes, nondimensionalized by the wave speed is linearly dependent on the length of the ice floe nondimensionalized by the wave length. Measures of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation under the ice are comparable to those at the wave density interface. Moreover, in cases where the ice floe protrudes into the pycnocline, interaction with the ice edge can cause the ISW to break or even be destroyed by the process. The results suggest that interaction between ISWs and sea ice may be an important mechanism for dissipation of ISW energy in the Arctic Ocean.

Weakening of Cold Halocline Layer Exposes Sea Ice to Oceanic Heat in the Eastern Arctic Ocean

“…The process described here represents a positive feedback, analogous to the ice-albedo feedback, since increased ocean heat flux to the sea surface reduces ice thickness and increases its mobility, increasing atmospheric momentum flux into the ocean and reducing the damping of surface-intensified baroclinic tides (Carr et al 2019). We refer to this process as the ice-ocean-heat feedback.…”

Numerical Simulations of Internal Solitary Wave Evolution Beneath an Ice Keel

“…The Coriolis parameter was 1.4238 × 10 −4 s −1 (∼77.5°N). In the experiment of Carr et al (2019), ice drift was negligible when the floe length greatly exceeded the ISW width, so the position of the keel was fixed. No-slip boundary conditions were used in the ice water and bottom boundaries.…”

“…Recent laboratory work by Carr et al. (2019) revealed the interaction process between ISWs and sea ice. The researchers suggested that during the interaction, the dissipation of ISWs could greatly contribute to mixing and heat transport.…”

Dependence of the internal wave energy flux on the parameters of a two­layer hydrodynamic system

“…Laboratory experiments with internal separated waves in ice-covered water were conducted in [1]. Internal separated waves propagating in a stably stratified two-layer liquid in which upper boundary condition varies from open water to ice were investigated.…”

“…The results suggest that interaction between separated waves and sea ice may become an important mechanism of the dissipation of energy of single waves in the Arctic Ocean. However, a case of the presence of permanent hard crumbs corresponding to the case when the ice layer has a large area compared to the water thickness was not considered in [1]. This was determined by the need to conduct field experiments.…”