Melting Influences on the Computer Forecast of Wind Drift and Concentration of Sea Ice

摘要

A computer program to provide five-day forecasts of the wind drift and concentration of sea-ice has been developed; however, one of the problems not considered is the effect of melting. Melting influences concentration in two ways: it reduces the amount of ice directly, and changes in thickness and concentration change the wind drift. A model to describe how ice-melt decreases thickness and concentration is developed and programmed. The results are used to modify the input data in the wind drift forecast; forecasts are compared with those based on wind drift alone. The modification enhances the use of the program as a forecast tool with the addition of normally available data. (Author)