Recent Advances in Arctic Ocean Studies Employing Models from the Arctic Ocean Model Intercomparison Project

A fully prognostic coupled ice-ocean model is described. The ice model is based on the elastic-plastic constitutive law with ice mass and compactness described by distribution functions. The ice thermodynamics model is applied individually to each ice thickness category. Advection of the ice partial mass and concentrations is parameterized by a fourth-order algorithm that conserves monotonicity of the solution. The ocean is described as a three-dimensional time-dependent baroclinic model with free surface. The coupled model is applied to establish the Arctic Ocean seasonal climatology using fully prognostic models for ice and ocean. Results reflect the importance of the ice melting/freezing in the formation of the thermohaline structure of the upper ocean layer.

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Arctic Sea Ice Retreat in 2007 Follows Thinning Trend

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/2008jcli2521.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 165-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 143

Author(s):

R. W. Lindsay ◽

J. Zhang ◽

A. Schweiger ◽

M. Steele ◽

H. Stern

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Arctic Ocean ◽

Ocean Model ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

The Arctic ◽

Ice Thickness ◽

Sea Ice Extent ◽

Pacific Side ◽

Arctic Sea ◽

The Arctic Ocean

Abstract The minimum of Arctic sea ice extent in the summer of 2007 was unprecedented in the historical record. A coupled ice–ocean model is used to determine the state of the ice and ocean over the past 29 yr to investigate the causes of this ice extent minimum within a historical perspective. It is found that even though the 2007 ice extent was strongly anomalous, the loss in total ice mass was not. Rather, the 2007 ice mass loss is largely consistent with a steady decrease in ice thickness that began in 1987. Since then, the simulated mean September ice thickness within the Arctic Ocean has declined from 3.7 to 2.6 m at a rate of −0.57 m decade−1. Both the area coverage of thin ice at the beginning of the melt season and the total volume of ice lost in the summer have been steadily increasing. The combined impact of these two trends caused a large reduction in the September mean ice concentration in the Arctic Ocean. This created conditions during the summer of 2007 that allowed persistent winds to push the remaining ice from the Pacific side to the Atlantic side of the basin and more than usual into the Greenland Sea. This exposed large areas of open water, resulting in the record ice extent anomaly.

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Quaternary Sedimentation in the Arctic Ocean: Recent Advances and Further Challenges

Oceanography ◽

10.5670/oceanog.2011.55 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 52-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Leonid Polyak ◽

Martin Jakobsson

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

The Arctic ◽

Recent Advances ◽

The Arctic Ocean

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Climate change and the Arctic hydrologic cycle as calculated by a global coupled atmosphere–ocean model

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0260305500015652 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

pp. 91-95 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

James R. Miller ◽

Gary L. Russell

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

River Discharge ◽

Surface Air Temperature ◽

Horizontal Resolution ◽

Ocean Model ◽

Hydrologic Cycle ◽

Transient Simulation ◽

The Arctic ◽

Glacial Ice ◽

The Arctic Ocean

A global coupled atmosphere–ocean model is used to examine the hydrologic cycle of the Arctic Ocean. The model has a horizontal resolution of 4° × 5°, nine vertical layers in the atmosphere and 13 in the ocean. River discharge into the Arctic Ocean is included by allowing runoff from each continental grid box to flow downstream according to a specified direction file and a speed that depends on topography. A 74 year control simulation of the present climate is used to examine variability of the hydrologic cycle, including precipitation, sea ice, glacial ice and river discharge. A 74 year transient simulation in which atmospheric CO2increases each year at a compound rate оf 1% is then used to examine potential changes in the hydrologic cycle. Among these changes are a 4°C increase in mean annual surface air temperature in the Arctic Ocean, a decrease in ice cover which begins after 35 years, and increases in river discharge and cloud cover. There is little change in the net difference between precipitation and evaporation. Also in the transient simulation, glacial ice on Greenland decreases relative to the control.

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Seasonal Arctic sea-ice simulations with a prognostic ice-ocean model

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0260305500009538 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 45-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Peter H. Ranelli ◽

William D. Hibler

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

Arctic Basin ◽

Ocean Model ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

Salt Transport ◽

Salt Flux ◽

The Arctic ◽

Diagnostic Model ◽

Quasi Equilibrium ◽

The Arctic Ocean

A prognostic ice-ocean model of the Arctic, Greenland and Norwegian seas with daily wind and atmospheric forcing is integrated for 30 years to quasi-equilibrium. Three simulations are carried out to investigate the role played by ice deformation and transport in baroclinic adjustment of the Arctic Ocean: a standard run with precipitation and ice transport, a simulation without precipitation and a “thermodynamics only” simulation without ice transport but including precipitation. A diagnostic model is integrated for five years to serve as a comparative control run. Comparison of the vertically integrated stream-function of each of the model runs indicates that the vertical density stratification needed to maintain the circulation of the Arctic Ocean is reduced excessively when precipitation is neglected and artificially enhanced if ice transport out of the basin is ignored. This effect is even more noticeable in the surface currents and is also apparent in a comparison of simulated and observed drifting-buoy tracks. An analysis of the salt budget of the Arctic Ocean indicates that the three main components, salt transport by the ocean, salt flux from the annual cycle of ice, and a fresh-water flux from precipitation and river runoff are approximately of the same magnitude. The main circulation deficiency identified in the simulations is an inadequate flow of Atlantic water into the Arctic Basin through the Fram Strait.

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Seasonal Arctic sea-ice simulations with a prognostic ice-ocean model

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/1991aog15-1-45-53 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 45-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Peter H. Ranelli ◽

William D. Hibler

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

Arctic Basin ◽

Ocean Model ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

Salt Transport ◽

Salt Flux ◽

The Arctic ◽

Diagnostic Model ◽

Quasi Equilibrium ◽

The Arctic Ocean

A prognostic ice-ocean model of the Arctic, Greenland and Norwegian seas with daily wind and atmospheric forcing is integrated for 30 years to quasi-equilibrium. Three simulations are carried out to investigate the role played by ice deformation and transport in baroclinic adjustment of the Arctic Ocean: a standard run with precipitation and ice transport, a simulation without precipitation and a “thermodynamics only” simulation without ice transport but including precipitation. A diagnostic model is integrated for five years to serve as a comparative control run. Comparison of the vertically integrated stream-function of each of the model runs indicates that the vertical density stratification needed to maintain the circulation of the Arctic Ocean is reduced excessively when precipitation is neglected and artificially enhanced if ice transport out of the basin is ignored. This effect is even more noticeable in the surface currents and is also apparent in a comparison of simulated and observed drifting-buoy tracks. An analysis of the salt budget of the Arctic Ocean indicates that the three main components, salt transport by the ocean, salt flux from the annual cycle of ice, and a fresh-water flux from precipitation and river runoff are approximately of the same magnitude. The main circulation deficiency identified in the simulations is an inadequate flow of Atlantic water into the Arctic Basin through the Fram Strait.

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Arctic Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (AOMIP): Travel Support for Workshops

10.21236/ada560279 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Steele

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

Ocean Model ◽

Model Intercomparison ◽

Intercomparison Project

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A multi-model CMIP6 study of Arctic sea ice at 127 ka: Sea ice data compilation and model differences

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-8628 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Louise Sime ◽

Masa Kageyama ◽

Marie Sicard ◽

Maria-Vittoria Guarino ◽

Anne de Vernal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Arctic Ocean ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

The Arctic ◽

Climate Modelling ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

Nordic Seas ◽

Arctic Sea ◽

The Arctic Ocean ◽

Intercomparison Project

The Last interglacial (LIG) is a period with increased summer insolation at high northern latitudes, which results in strong changes in the terrestrial and marine cryosphere. Understanding the mechanisms for this response via climate modelling and comparing the models&#8217; representation of climate reconstructions is one of the objectives set up by the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project for its contribution to the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. Here we analyse the results from 12 climate models in terms of Arctic sea ice. The mean pre-industrial to LIG reduction in minimum sea ice area (SIA) reaches 59% (multi-model mean LIG area is 2.21 mill. km2, compared to 5.85 mill. km2 for the PI), and the range of model results for LIG minimum sea ice area (from 0.02 to 5.65 mill. km2) is larger than for PI (from 4.10 to 8.30 mill. km2). On the other hand there is little change for the maximum sea ice area (which is 12 mill. km2 for both the PI and the LIG, with a standard deviation of 1.04 mill. km2 for PI and 1.21 mill. km2 for LIG). To evaluate the model results we synthesize LIG sea ice data from marine cores collected in the Arctic Ocean, Nordic Seas and northern North Atlantic. South of 78oN, in the Atlantic and Nordic seas, the LIG was seasonally ice-free. North of 78oN there are some discrepancies between sea ice reconstructions based on dinocysts/foraminifers/ostracods and IP25: some sites have both seasonal and perennial interpretations based on the same core, but different indicators. Because of the con&#64258;icting interpretations it is not possible for any one model to match every data point in our data synthesis, or say whether the Arctic was seasonally ice-free. Drivers for the inter-model differences are: different phasing of the up and down short-wave anomalies over the Arctic ocean, associated with differences in model albedo; possible cloud property differences, in terms of optical depth; LIG ocean circulation changes which occur for some, but not all, LIG simulations. Finally we note that inter-comparisons between the LIG simulations, and simulations with moderate CO2 increase (during the transition to high CO2 levels), may yield insight into likely 21C Arctic sea ice changes using these LIG simulations.

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