Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS)

Arctic coupled ocean – sea ice state estimates: a forward approach



An optimized 1992--2008 coupled ice-ocean simulation of the Arctic Ocean is
presented. A Green's function approach adjusts a set of parameters for
best model-data agreement. Overall, model-data differences are reduced by
45\%. The optimized simulation reproduces the negative trends in ice
extent in the satellite records. Volume and thickness distributions are
comparable to those from ICESat (2003--08). The upper cold-halocline is
consistent with observations in the Western Arctic. The freshwater budget
of the Arctic Ocean and volume/heat transports of Pacific and Atlantic
Waters across major passages are comparable with observation-based
estimates. We note that the optimized parameters depend on the selected
atmospheric forcing. The use of the 25-year Japanese Reanalysis results in
sea ice albedos that are consistent with field observations.

This work utilizes the record of available observations to obtain an Arctic
Ocean simulation that is in agreement with observations both within and
beyond the optimization period and that can be used for tracer and process
studies.