Seasonal evolution of sea ice and oceanic heat flux in the Weddell Sea

In the Southern Ocean, the formation of deep water and the convective movements are influenced by the high-temporal variability of ice production in the area. The study of these phenomena therefore needs an accurate representation of the atmosphere/ocean interface generally occupied by the ice pack. With this aim in view, a one-dimensional thermodynamic model based on Semtner's approach associated with a horizontal transport component is used to compute the sea ice thickness and extent. A visco-plastic ice rheology reproduces the ridging of the ice pack. Turbulent surface heat and momentum fluxes over ice and open areas are classically computed. The sea ice and leads are connected to the deep ocean through a mixed layer. The heat and salt fluxes between ice and water column are explicitly taken into account. The model is run with a set of climatological data to reproduce the ice formation during a year and the results are compared with available observations. This work is the first step of a coupled ocean circulation/sea ice model developed for the Southern Ocean. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved