Simulating Linear Kinematic Features in Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Models on Quadrilateral and Triangular Grids With Different Variable Staggering
Abstract Observations in polar regions show that sea ice deformations are often narrow linear features. These long bands of deformations are referred to as Linear Kinematic Features (LKFs). Viscous‐plastic sea ice models have the capability to simulate LKFs and more generally sea ice deformations. M...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2021-11-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2021MS002523 |
| _version_ | 1819126776280907776 |
|---|---|
| author | C. Mehlmann S. Danilov M. Losch J. F. Lemieux N. Hutter T. Richter P. Blain E. C. Hunke P. Korn |
| author_facet | C. Mehlmann S. Danilov M. Losch J. F. Lemieux N. Hutter T. Richter P. Blain E. C. Hunke P. Korn |
| author_sort | C. Mehlmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Observations in polar regions show that sea ice deformations are often narrow linear features. These long bands of deformations are referred to as Linear Kinematic Features (LKFs). Viscous‐plastic sea ice models have the capability to simulate LKFs and more generally sea ice deformations. Moreover, viscous‐plastic models simulate a larger number and more refined LKFs as the spatial resolution is increased. Besides grid spacing, other aspects of a numerical implementation, such as the placement of velocities and the associated degrees of freedom, may impact the formation of simulated LKFs. To explore these effects this study compares numerical solutions of sea ice models with different velocity staggering in a benchmark problem. Discretizations based on A‐,B‐, and C‐grid systems on quadrilateral meshes have similar resolution properties as an approximation with an A‐grid staggering on triangular grids (with the same total number of vertices). CD‐grid approximations with a given grid spacing have properties, specifically the number and length of simulated LKFs, that are qualitatively similar to approximations on conventional Arakawa A‐grid, B‐grid, and C‐grid approaches with half the grid spacing or less, making the CD‐discretization more efficient with respect to grid resolution. One reason for this behavior is the fact that the CD‐grid approach has a higher number of degrees of freedom to discretize the velocity field. The higher effective resolution of the CD‐discretization makes it an attractive alternative to conventional discretizations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T08:01:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c2b327e2621f4292b5cd802ffb7600ac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1942-2466 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T08:01:24Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-c2b327e2621f4292b5cd802ffb7600ac2022-12-21T18:33:14ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems1942-24662021-11-011311n/an/a10.1029/2021MS002523Simulating Linear Kinematic Features in Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Models on Quadrilateral and Triangular Grids With Different Variable StaggeringC. Mehlmann0S. Danilov1M. Losch2J. F. Lemieux3N. Hutter4T. Richter5P. Blain6E. C. Hunke7P. Korn8Max‐Planck Institute for Meteorology Hamburg GermanyAlfred‐Wegener‐Institut Helmholtz Zentrum für Polar‐ und Meeresforschung Bremerhaven GermanyAlfred‐Wegener‐Institut Helmholtz Zentrum für Polar‐ und Meeresforschung Bremerhaven GermanyEnvironnement et Changement Climatique Canada Recherche en Prévision Numérique Environnementale Dorval QC CanadaAlfred‐Wegener‐Institut Helmholtz Zentrum für Polar‐ und Meeresforschung Bremerhaven GermanyOtto‐von‐Guericke Universität Magdeburg Magdeburg GermanyEnvironnement et Changement Climatique Canada Service Météorologique du Canada Dorval QC CanadaLos Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM USAMax‐Planck Institute for Meteorology Hamburg GermanyAbstract Observations in polar regions show that sea ice deformations are often narrow linear features. These long bands of deformations are referred to as Linear Kinematic Features (LKFs). Viscous‐plastic sea ice models have the capability to simulate LKFs and more generally sea ice deformations. Moreover, viscous‐plastic models simulate a larger number and more refined LKFs as the spatial resolution is increased. Besides grid spacing, other aspects of a numerical implementation, such as the placement of velocities and the associated degrees of freedom, may impact the formation of simulated LKFs. To explore these effects this study compares numerical solutions of sea ice models with different velocity staggering in a benchmark problem. Discretizations based on A‐,B‐, and C‐grid systems on quadrilateral meshes have similar resolution properties as an approximation with an A‐grid staggering on triangular grids (with the same total number of vertices). CD‐grid approximations with a given grid spacing have properties, specifically the number and length of simulated LKFs, that are qualitatively similar to approximations on conventional Arakawa A‐grid, B‐grid, and C‐grid approaches with half the grid spacing or less, making the CD‐discretization more efficient with respect to grid resolution. One reason for this behavior is the fact that the CD‐grid approach has a higher number of degrees of freedom to discretize the velocity field. The higher effective resolution of the CD‐discretization makes it an attractive alternative to conventional discretizations.https://doi.org/10.1029/2021MS002523 |
| spellingShingle | C. Mehlmann S. Danilov M. Losch J. F. Lemieux N. Hutter T. Richter P. Blain E. C. Hunke P. Korn Simulating Linear Kinematic Features in Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Models on Quadrilateral and Triangular Grids With Different Variable Staggering Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems |
| title | Simulating Linear Kinematic Features in Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Models on Quadrilateral and Triangular Grids With Different Variable Staggering |
| title_full | Simulating Linear Kinematic Features in Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Models on Quadrilateral and Triangular Grids With Different Variable Staggering |
| title_fullStr | Simulating Linear Kinematic Features in Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Models on Quadrilateral and Triangular Grids With Different Variable Staggering |
| title_full_unstemmed | Simulating Linear Kinematic Features in Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Models on Quadrilateral and Triangular Grids With Different Variable Staggering |
| title_short | Simulating Linear Kinematic Features in Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Models on Quadrilateral and Triangular Grids With Different Variable Staggering |
| title_sort | simulating linear kinematic features in viscous plastic sea ice models on quadrilateral and triangular grids with different variable staggering |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2021MS002523 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cmehlmann simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering AT sdanilov simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering AT mlosch simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering AT jflemieux simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering AT nhutter simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering AT trichter simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering AT pblain simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering AT echunke simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering AT pkorn simulatinglinearkinematicfeaturesinviscousplasticseaicemodelsonquadrilateralandtriangulargridswithdifferentvariablestaggering |