Speaker
Description
The continuum viscous–plastic sea-ice model is widely used in climate models for simulating large-scale sea-ice dynamics, usually on grids of several kilometers (10 km). Recently, there is an increasing interest in modelling small-scale processes that have the potential to impact large-scale dynamics such as sea-ice–iceberg interactions. The influence of small-scale icebergs on sea-ice dynamics have not yet been studied in the context of climate models as efficient numerical realizations are missing. To address this shortcomings we develop a new numerical efficient hybrid model in which the sea-ice momentum equation is modified and icebergs are included as particles on a subgrid level. We show, that the time discretized modified momentum equation is equivalent to a convex energy minimization problem. To a series of test cases we demonstrate that subgrid dynamics, such as polynya formation due to grounded icebergs, can be reflected with this new approach. This hybrid ice model is both numerically efficient and suitable for large-scale climate models.
