The growth and decay of sea ice influences climate in a variety of ways. Sea ice forms an effective insulating barrier between the cold air above the ice and the relatively warm ocean below. Since ice is a better reflector of solar radiation than open water, the presence of ice on the surface decreases absorption of solar radiation. In addition, due to the latent heat associated with freezing and melting, sea ice acts as a thermal reservoir that delays the seasonal temperature cycle. Climate is also affected by significant changes in the thermohaline circulation, which is influenced by the expulsion of brine from growing sea ice and the formation of fresh water below melting ice. The processes of ice growth and decay and the expulsion of brine are only coarsely modeled in global climate models due to the complexity of both the climate models and complete models of ice growth and decay. Our aim here is to parameterize the results of a rather complex model of sea ice in such a way as to provide simple inputs to climate models.
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