Direct in-situ observations of wave-induced floe collisions in the deeper Marginal Ice Zone

Ocean waves propagating through the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) and the pack ice are strongly attenuated. This attenuation is critical for protecting sea ice from energetic wave events that could otherwise lead to sea ice break-up and dislocation over large areas. Despite the importance of waves-in-ice...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2024-04
Main Authors: Dreyer, Lars Willas, Rabault, Jean, Jensen, Atle, Dæhlen, Ingrid, Breivik, Øyvind, Hope, Gaute, Kristoffersen, Yngve
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Collisions
Energy dissipation
In situ measurement
Sea ice
Wave attenuation
Wave power
Wave propagation
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Ocean waves propagating through the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) and the pack ice are strongly attenuated. This attenuation is critical for protecting sea ice from energetic wave events that could otherwise lead to sea ice break-up and dislocation over large areas. Despite the importance of waves-in-ice attenuation, the exact physical mechanisms involved, and their relative importance, are still uncertain. Here we present for the first time direct in situ measurements of floe-floe interactions under the influence of waves, including collisions between adjacent floes. The collision events we report are aligned with the incoming wave direction, and phase-locked to the wave signal, which indicates that the individual collisions we detect are wave-induced. The observations demonstrate that wave attenuation by wave-induced floe-floe collisions, which have been studied in idealized laboratory and field experiments in the outer MIZ, are indeed a likely source of wave energy dissipation deep inside the MIZ as well.
ISSN:2331-8422