Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay
Sea ice variability in the Labrador Sea is of climatic interest because of its relationship to deep convection, mode-water formation, and the North Atlantic atmospheric circulation. Historically, quantifying the relationship between sea ice and ocean variability has been difficult because of in situ...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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American Meteorological Society
2013
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82886 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3925-6161 |
| _version_ | 1811092090533183488 |
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| author | Fenty, Ian Heimbach, Patrick |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Fenty, Ian Heimbach, Patrick |
| author_sort | Fenty, Ian |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Sea ice variability in the Labrador Sea is of climatic interest because of its relationship to deep convection, mode-water formation, and the North Atlantic atmospheric circulation. Historically, quantifying the relationship between sea ice and ocean variability has been difficult because of in situ observation paucity and technical challenges associated with synthesizing observations with numerical models. Here the relationship between ice and ocean variability is explored by analyzing new estimates of the ocean–ice state in the northwest North Atlantic. The estimates are syntheses of in situ and satellite hydrographic and ice data with a regional ⅓° coupled ocean–sea ice model. The synthesis of sea ice data is achieved with an improved adjoint of a thermodynamic ice model. Model and data are made consistent, in a least squares sense, by iteratively adjusting control variables, including ocean initial and lateral boundary conditions and the atmospheric state, to minimize an uncertainty-weighted model–data misfit cost function. The utility of the state estimate is demonstrated in an analysis of energy and buoyancy budgets in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). In mid-March the system achieves a state of quasi-equilibrium during which net ice growth and melt approaches zero; newly formed ice diverges from coastal areas and converges via wind and ocean forcing in the MIZ. The convergence of ice mass in the MIZ is ablated primarily by turbulent ocean–ice enthalpy fluxes. The primary source of the enthalpy required for sustained MIZ ice ablation is the sensible heat reservoir of the subtropical-origin subsurface waters. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:12:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/82886 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:12:50Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | American Meteorological Society |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/828862022-10-02T01:22:55Z Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay Fenty, Ian Heimbach, Patrick Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Heimbach, Patrick Sea ice variability in the Labrador Sea is of climatic interest because of its relationship to deep convection, mode-water formation, and the North Atlantic atmospheric circulation. Historically, quantifying the relationship between sea ice and ocean variability has been difficult because of in situ observation paucity and technical challenges associated with synthesizing observations with numerical models. Here the relationship between ice and ocean variability is explored by analyzing new estimates of the ocean–ice state in the northwest North Atlantic. The estimates are syntheses of in situ and satellite hydrographic and ice data with a regional ⅓° coupled ocean–sea ice model. The synthesis of sea ice data is achieved with an improved adjoint of a thermodynamic ice model. Model and data are made consistent, in a least squares sense, by iteratively adjusting control variables, including ocean initial and lateral boundary conditions and the atmospheric state, to minimize an uncertainty-weighted model–data misfit cost function. The utility of the state estimate is demonstrated in an analysis of energy and buoyancy budgets in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). In mid-March the system achieves a state of quasi-equilibrium during which net ice growth and melt approaches zero; newly formed ice diverges from coastal areas and converges via wind and ocean forcing in the MIZ. The convergence of ice mass in the MIZ is ablated primarily by turbulent ocean–ice enthalpy fluxes. The primary source of the enthalpy required for sustained MIZ ice ablation is the sensible heat reservoir of the subtropical-origin subsurface waters. National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant ARC-1023499) United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (MAP Grant NNX11AQ12G) 2013-12-09T16:39:36Z 2013-12-09T16:39:36Z 2013-05 2012-10 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0022-3670 1520-0485 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82886 Fenty, Ian, and Patrick Heimbach. “Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay.” Journal of Physical Oceanography 43, no. 5 (May 2013): 884-904. © 2013 American Meteorological Society https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3925-6161 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-12-065.1 Journal of Physical Oceanography Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Meteorological Society American Meteorological Society |
| spellingShingle | Fenty, Ian Heimbach, Patrick Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay |
| title | Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay |
| title_full | Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay |
| title_fullStr | Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay |
| title_short | Coupled Sea Ice–Ocean-State Estimation in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay |
| title_sort | coupled sea ice ocean state estimation in the labrador sea and baffin bay |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82886 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3925-6161 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fentyian coupledseaiceoceanstateestimationinthelabradorseaandbaffinbay AT heimbachpatrick coupledseaiceoceanstateestimationinthelabradorseaandbaffinbay |