Tidal effects on the ice concentration and lead fraction over the continental shelf and slope off Wilkes Land

Brief description

Metadata record for data from AAS (ASAC) project 2944.

Public
Sea ice and tides are important factors affecting ocean-atmosphere heat transfer and deep water formation. They affect climate and the global thermohaline circulation. Generally, tidal processes were ignored in coupled sea ice/ocean models and sea ice was ignored in tidal models. Here, a coupled sea ice/ocean model is used to evaluate tidal effects on sea ice and deep water formation in the continental margin off Wilkes Land. The model results will both support and be verified against results from an observational sea ice program. The project will also investigate the effects of warming of circumpolar deep water on sea ice.

Project objectives:
1. a quantitative evaluation of the tidal effects, including those of internal tides, on the sea ice concentration and thickness, lead formation, ocean-atmosphere heat flux, and deep water formation
2. generation of estimates of sea ice and tidal velocity fields in support of AAS 2901
3. validation of an established coupled ocean/sea ice model in realistic scenarios
4. simulation of the effects of warming of the Circumpolar Deep Water on sea ice concentrations and tidal effects on the sea ice

Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report:
1.This year it was necessary to update the model I use, ROMS, since significant changes had been made by the model development committee. It required considerable work to implement my changes into the new model and test it. Subsequently, simulations of internal tides were again performed for the region off Wilkes Land.
2-4. Limited progress.

Taken from the 2009-2010 Progress Report:
I am investigating the role of tides on the cryosphere, specifically sea ice and ice shelves, focussing on the Pine Island Glacier in the Amundsen Sea and the Wilkes Land region of the Antarctic. Both modeling and observational data are being used. This year I simulated tides for the region and analysed observational data to identify the role of tides and to verify the model.