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

Description

Sea ice floes, ranging in size from centimeters to hundreds of kilometers, strongly influence momentum and heat fluxes across the air–sea–ice interface within the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ). However, these processes remain poorly understood and are insufficiently represented in current weather and climate models, limiting the accurate simulation of polar weather extremes and climate change.

This four-year project at Uppsala University aims to develop a framework for understanding how sea ice floes influence turbulent fluxes within the MIZ and how these processes affect polar cyclones and climate dynamics. The project combines in-situ observations, a dedicated Antarctic field campaign, wave and ice measurements, and Large-Eddy simulations to improve the physical understanding of interactions between atmosphere, ocean, waves and ice.

The improved process understanding will be integrated into coupled atmosphere–wave–ocean–ice models to improve representations of polar climate processes and enhance climate model accuracy.