Simulation and Data Assimilation in an Idealized Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Floe Model with Cloud Effects

Abstract

Sea ice plays a crucial role in the climate system, particularly in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ), a transitional area consisting of fragmented ice between the open ocean and consolidated pack ice. As the MIZ expands, understanding its dynamics becomes essential for predicting climate change impacts. However, the role of clouds in these processes has been largely overlooked. This paper addresses that gap by developing an idealized coupled atmosphere-ocean-ice model incorporating cloud and precipitation effects, tackling both forward (simulation) and inverse (data assimilation) problems. Sea ice dynamics are modeled using the discrete element method, which simulates floes driven by atmospheric and oceanic forces. The ocean is represented by a two-layer quasi-geostrophic (QG) model, capturing mesoscale eddies and ice-ocean drag. The atmosphere is modeled using a two-layer saturated precipitating QG system, accounting for variable evaporation over sea surfaces and ice. Cloud cover affects radiation, influencing ice melting. The idealized coupled modeling framework allows us to study the interactions between atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice floes. Specifically, it focuses on how clouds and precipitation affect energy balance, melting, and freezing processes. It also serves as a testbed for data assimilation, which allows the recovery of unobserved floe trajectories and ocean fields in cloud-induced uncertainties. Numerical results show that appropriate reduced-order models help improve data assimilation efficiency with partial observations, allowing the skillful inference of missing floe trajectories and lower atmospheric winds. These results imply the potential of integrating idealized models with data assimilation to improve our understanding of Arctic dynamics and predictions.