Interplay between MEsoscale Dynamics and sea Ice in the ArcTic – ImMEDIAT
ImMEDIAT
Interplay between MEsoscale Dynamics and sea Ice in the ArcTic
the over-arching goal of ImMEDIAT is to improve the quantification and our fundamental understanding of the mesoscale dynamics in the presence of sea ice.
Specific questions addressed by ImMEDIAT include:<br />- Can we detect mesoscale eddies in the ice-covered Arctic using satellite observations?<br />- How do mesoscale features and sea ice influence each other? What are the important processes<br />for this interplay?<br />- Can we provide a basin scale quantification of the Arctic mesoscale activity? How is it varying<br />on seasonal-to-interannual timescales, in relation to the sea ice conditions?<br />- What role do ocean eddies play in setting the Arctic large scale circulation and physical<br />conditions?
The Arctic system, as a whole, is in transition. Interactions between mesoscale eddies and sea ice could potentially represent an important mechanism, via which the ocean contributes to the on-going and future sea ice retreat. The goal of ImMEDIAT is twofold: 1) thanks to an innovative method using satellite sea ice observations complemented with results from realistic simulations run at very high resolution, we will quantify the mesoscale activity in the ice-covered Arctic, and determine if it fundamentally differs from the other oceans, and 2) based on idealized and realistic models, we will investigate the interplay between eddies and sea ice.
- A first description of the Arctic eddy kinetic energy and its response to the spin up of the large scale circulation has been proposed.
- A new, original method has been developed in order to detect ocean eddy under sea ice, based on their signature on sea ice vorticity reconstructed at high resolution from SAR images
- A new configuration of the Arctic has been developed, allowing us to perform pioneer simulations at a unprecedented resolution.
We will continue the analysis of the observations in order to produce a statistical description of the meso- and sub-mesoscale dynamics in the Arctic Basin, and its dynamic and thermodynamic interactions with sea ice. These analyses will be complemented by the analysis of very high resolution numerical simulations.
1. Regan, H., C. Lique, C. Talandier and G. Meneghello, 2020: Response of Total and Eddy Kinetic Energy to the recent spin up of the Beaufort Gyre, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 50, doi:10.1175/JPO-D-19-0234.1
2. Meneghello, G., J. Marshall, C. Lique, P.E. Isachsen, E. Doddridge, J.-M. Campin, H. Regan, C. Talandier, 2020: Genesis and decay of baroclinic eddies in the seasonally ice-covered Arctic ocean, in press in Journal of Physical Oceanography, doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-20-0054.1
The Arctic system, as a whole, is in transition. Interactions between mesoscale eddies and sea ice could potentially represent an important mechanism, via which the ocean contributes to the on-going and future sea ice retreat. The goal of ImMEDIAT is twofold: 1) thanks to a innovative method using satellite sea ice observations complemented with results from realistic simulations run at very high resolution, we will quantify the mesoscale activity in the ice-covered Arctic, and determine if it fundamentally differs from the other oceans, and 2) based on idealized and realistic models, we will investigate the interplay between eddies and sea ice. Under the advice of a broad consortium of scientists, ImMEDIAT will strengthen the research activities of a young scientist and help her establish herself within the national and international communities.
Project coordination
Camille Lique (Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS))
The author of this summary is the project coordinator, who is responsible for the content of this summary. The ANR declines any responsibility as for its contents.
Partner
IFREMER-LOPS Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS)
Help of the ANR 217,048 euros
Beginning and duration of the scientific project:
December 2018
- 42 Months
