Mixed Layer Deepening and Internal Wave Generation under Sea Ice in Free Drift.
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| Title: | Mixed Layer Deepening and Internal Wave Generation under Sea Ice in Free Drift. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | De Abreu, Sam1 (AUTHOR) sam.deabreu@yale.edu, Timmermans, Mary-Louise1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Physical Oceanography. Apr2026, Vol. 56 Issue 4, p823-837. 15p. |
| Subjects: | Sea ice, Internal waves, Ocean-atmosphere interaction, Oceanic mixing, Large eddy simulation models, Coriolis force |
| Geographic Terms: | Arctic regions, Arctic Ocean |
| Abstract: | The Arctic Ocean stores enough heat to melt the entire sea ice pack, but that heat is isolated from the surface due to strong salinity stratification. Processes like mixed layer deepening and internal wave breaking can erode this stratification and mix heat to the surface. While the deepening of a mixed layer of depth h into an ocean with constant buoyancy frequency N0 under constant surface forcing is well understood for times N 0 − 1 ≪ t ≪ f − 1 (fast deepening; h ∝ tα with α = 0.5), where f is the Coriolis parameter, there is limited consensus on α for t ≳ f−1 (slow deepening). Since f−1 is smallest at polar latitudes, this unsettled regime may be relevant for the Arctic. Moreover, how the amount of energy fluxed into the internal wave field during fast and slow deepening may vary is largely unexplored. Using large-eddy simulations of the ice–ocean boundary layer, we investigate both the rate of slow deepening and the associated internal wave field. We find that sea ice in free drift imposes a nearly constant surface momentum flux on the ocean, even during inertial oscillations. We estimate α = 0.21 for slow deepening, which differs from fast deepening due to the surface power input tending toward a constant over time. Additionally, the resulting internal wave field is weaker during slow deepening because the internal wave energy flux decays as ∼h−2. Our results clarify the dynamics of slow deepening and its role in internal wave generation, both in general and in an Arctic context. Significance Statement: The purpose of this study is to gain deeper insight into how energy from the atmosphere input at the ice–ocean boundary layer contributes to mixing the upper Arctic Ocean when the dynamics are affected by Earth's rotation. Using numerical simulations and analytical arguments, we show that Earth's rotation complicates this energy transfer by modifying the amount of power the ocean receives from the atmosphere. This leads to two distinct dynamical regimes that result in differing degrees of upper-ocean mixing. These results can be used to improve our understanding of how atmospheric forcing can draw stored heat in the Arctic Ocean to the surface, a topic that remains relevant for predicting the future of the Arctic sea ice cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Physical Oceanography is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 193865896 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Mixed Layer Deepening and Internal Wave Generation under Sea Ice in Free Drift. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22De+Abreu%2C+Sam%22">De Abreu, Sam</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> sam.deabreu@yale.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Timmermans%2C+Mary-Louise%22">Timmermans, Mary-Louise</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Physical+Oceanography%22">Journal of Physical Oceanography</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 56 Issue 4, p823-837. 15p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sea+ice%22">Sea ice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Internal+waves%22">Internal waves</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ocean-atmosphere+interaction%22">Ocean-atmosphere interaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oceanic+mixing%22">Oceanic mixing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Large+eddy+simulation+models%22">Large eddy simulation models</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Coriolis+force%22">Coriolis force</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Arctic+regions%22">Arctic regions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Arctic+Ocean%22">Arctic Ocean</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The Arctic Ocean stores enough heat to melt the entire sea ice pack, but that heat is isolated from the surface due to strong salinity stratification. Processes like mixed layer deepening and internal wave breaking can erode this stratification and mix heat to the surface. While the deepening of a mixed layer of depth h into an ocean with constant buoyancy frequency N0 under constant surface forcing is well understood for times N 0 − 1 ≪ t ≪ f − 1 (fast deepening; h ∝ tα with α = 0.5), where f is the Coriolis parameter, there is limited consensus on α for t ≳ f−1 (slow deepening). Since f−1 is smallest at polar latitudes, this unsettled regime may be relevant for the Arctic. Moreover, how the amount of energy fluxed into the internal wave field during fast and slow deepening may vary is largely unexplored. Using large-eddy simulations of the ice–ocean boundary layer, we investigate both the rate of slow deepening and the associated internal wave field. We find that sea ice in free drift imposes a nearly constant surface momentum flux on the ocean, even during inertial oscillations. We estimate α = 0.21 for slow deepening, which differs from fast deepening due to the surface power input tending toward a constant over time. Additionally, the resulting internal wave field is weaker during slow deepening because the internal wave energy flux decays as ∼h−2. Our results clarify the dynamics of slow deepening and its role in internal wave generation, both in general and in an Arctic context. Significance Statement: The purpose of this study is to gain deeper insight into how energy from the atmosphere input at the ice–ocean boundary layer contributes to mixing the upper Arctic Ocean when the dynamics are affected by Earth's rotation. Using numerical simulations and analytical arguments, we show that Earth's rotation complicates this energy transfer by modifying the amount of power the ocean receives from the atmosphere. This leads to two distinct dynamical regimes that result in differing degrees of upper-ocean mixing. These results can be used to improve our understanding of how atmospheric forcing can draw stored heat in the Arctic Ocean to the surface, a topic that remains relevant for predicting the future of the Arctic sea ice cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Physical Oceanography is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1175/JPO-D-25-0165.1 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 15 StartPage: 823 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Sea ice Type: general – SubjectFull: Internal waves Type: general – SubjectFull: Ocean-atmosphere interaction Type: general – SubjectFull: Oceanic mixing Type: general – SubjectFull: Large eddy simulation models Type: general – SubjectFull: Coriolis force Type: general – SubjectFull: Arctic regions Type: general – SubjectFull: Arctic Ocean Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Mixed Layer Deepening and Internal Wave Generation under Sea Ice in Free Drift. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: De Abreu, Sam – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Timmermans, Mary-Louise IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 04 Text: Apr2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00223670 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 56 – Type: issue Value: 4 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Physical Oceanography Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
