Turbulence fluxes across the air-sea-ice interface in the marginal ice zone and their influence on polar cyclones

Sea ice floes, which vary in size from centimeters to hundreds of kilometers, have a significant impact on momentum and heat fluxes across the air-sea-ice interface within the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ).

However, their influence remains poorly understood and is inadequately represented in weather and climate models, presenting challenges in accurately capturing the development of extreme polar weather and climate changes.

This four-year project will be conducted at Uppsala University with the aim of developing a novel framework to elucidate the influence of sea ice floes on momentum and heat fluxes within the MIZ, and their implications for polar cyclones and climate.

To achieve this goal, alongside available in-situ measurements gathered through our network, a field campaign will be carefully designed to collect measurements of turbulent fluxes, wave spectrum, and ice information in the Antarctic MIZ.

These measurements, in conjunction with Large-Eddy simulations, will be utilized to enhance our physical understanding of the influences of ice floes on turbulent fluxes.

Furthermore, this enhanced understanding will be parameterized and integrated into an atmosphere-wave-ocean-ice coupled model to assess their role in polar cyclones and climate.

The outcomes of this project have the potential to significantly improve current climate models, enabling a more accurate depiction of polar climate changes.