Modelling Sea Ice for Climate Studies

This article reviews the state of the art of sea-ice modelling for climatic purposes. The large variability of sea ice, its effects on atmosphere and ocean dynamics, and its sensitivity to small changes in climate variables make the inclusion of an interactive sea-ice model necessary in today’s climate models. The ultimate sea-ice model now appears to be one in which sea ice is fully coupled by heat, salt and momentum fluxes to an ocean and atmosphere model. Before discussing the elements needed in fully coupled models, the hierarchy of existing thermodynamic and dynamic models is reviewed, and the principal methods used are described. The elements needed for coupled modelling are then discussed, and examples of ocean/sea-ice coupled models are presented. Perspectives on possible and needed progress in sea-ice modelling are outlined