A wave-ice interaction model for the marginal ice zone (MIZ) is reported,which involves both the attenuation of ocean surface waves by sea ice and theconcomitant breaking of the ice by waves. It is specifically designed to embedwave-ice interactions in an operational ice/ocean model for the first time. Weinvestigate different methods of including the wave forcing, and differentcriteria for determining if they cause floes to break. We also investigate anddiscuss the effects of using various attenuation models, finding that predictedMIZ widths are quite sensitive to the choice of model. Additional sensitivitytests are performed on: (i) different parameterizations of the floe sizedistribution (FSD), including the initial FSD used; (ii) the properties of thewave field; and (iii) the sea ice properties such as concentration, thicknessand breaking strain. Results are relatively insensitive to FSD parameterizationbut vary noticeably and systematically with its initial configuration, as theydo with properties (ii-iii). An additional, somewhat surprising sensitivity, isthe degree of influence of the numerical scheme that performs wave attenuationand advection. This is because a naive implementation of spatial and temporaldiscretizations can cause the waves to be over-attenuated, leading to areduction of the predicted MIZ width by a substantial factor. Examplesimulations intended to represent conditions in the Fram Strait in 2007, whichexploit reanalyzed wave and ice model data, are shown to conclude the resultssection. These compare favorably to estimates of MIZ width using concentrationsobtained from remotely-sensed passive microwave images.
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