Application of a coupled ice‐ocean model to the Labrador Sea |
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| Authors: | Lawrence A Mysak Shiling Peng Rosemary G Wood |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Meteorology and Centre for Climate and Global Change Research , McGill University , 805 Sherbrooke St. West, Montréal, P.Q., H3A 2K6;2. Plymouth Marine Laboratory , Prospect Place, West Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DM, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | Abstract The steady, coupled ice‐ocean circulation model of Willmott and Mysak (1989) for a meridional channel is applied to the Labrador Sea for the winter season. The model consists of a thermodynamic reduced‐gravity ocean combined with a variable thickness ice cover that is in thermal equilibrium. Upon specifying the forcing fields of surface air temperature, wind stress and water temperature along the open southern boundary, the winter climatological ice‐edge position, ice thickness, ocean circulation and temperature fields are determined in the channel domain. The sensitivity of the results to the various model parameters is examined. In particular, the optimum heat exchange coefficients for the interfaces of air‐water, ice‐water and air‐ice are found. The model ice‐edge position compares favourably with the 50% winter climatological ice concentration isoline obtained from an analysis of 32 years (1953–84) of sea‐ice concentration data. The simulations of the ocean temperature and ice thickness are also quite realistic according to the observed records available. The model is also applied to two specific winters (1981 and 1983) during which anomalous sea‐ice and weather conditions prevailed in the Labrador Sea. |
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