Author(s)

R. M. Abid, S. H. Mousavizadegan & M. Rahman

Abstract

Analytical investigation of ice floe drift in the marginal ice zone R. M. Abid1, S. H. Mousavizadegan2 & M. Rahman3 1Department of Information Technology, Schneider National, Inc., USA 2Faculty of Marine Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran 3Department of Engineering Mathematics, Dalhousie University, Canada Abstract Analytical solutions were constructed to investigate the ice floe drift, velocity field, and trajectories. The mathematical model considers the balance of atmosphere and ocean drag forces on ice floe, including skin and body drag forces from wind, waves, and currents. We have obtained numerical solutions to our mathematical models of air-ice stress. Graphical solutions are presented for ice floe drift due to wind stress. Mathematical formulations are being developed for the ice floe drift due to Eulerian current, water-ice form stress, and wave radiation pressure. We systematically presented in this paper the classical solutions of the ice floe drift, velocity, and trajectories considering the effects of wind. Numerical solutions of the mathematical models developed here, have been computed and presented. The mathematical models will be tested with available experimental data. Keywords: ice floe, marginal ice zone, MIZ, ice drift, ocean surface waves, energy balance equation, wave spectrum, ice floe velocity components, ice floe trajectories. 1 Introduction An ice floe is a floating chunk of sea ice that is less than 10 kilometers in its greatest dimension. Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) is an interfacial region of ice floes which forms at the boundary of open water and the continuous ice pack. Figure 1 depicts a typical MIZ situation including ice floes and wave induced ice fracture at the ice edge. This paper considers the mathematical model for the ice edge and ice floe trajectories which is based on a balance equation for forces due to wind, waves, and currents impinging on the ice, as described by Tang and Fissel [7], Steele et al. [6] and Jenkins [3].

Keywords

ice floe, marginal ice zone, MIZ, ice drift, ocean surface waves, energy balance equation, wave spectrum, ice floe velocity components, ice floe trajectories.