Wave Attenuation in Drifting Sea Ice: A Mechanistic Model for Observed Decay Profiles
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
2026-03-09 v2 Fluid Dynamics
Abstract
Wave-sea ice interactions shape the transition zone between open ocean and pack ice in the polar regions. Most theoretical paradigms, implemented in coupled wave-sea ice models, predict exponential decay of the wave energy but some recent observations deviate from this behaviour. Expanding on a framework based on wave energy dissipation due to ice-water drag, we account for drifting sea ice to derive an improved model for wave energy attenuation. Analytical solutions replicate the observed non-exponential wave energy decay and the spatial evolution of the effective attenuation rate in Antarctic sea ice.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2511.01528,
title = {Wave Attenuation in Drifting Sea Ice: A Mechanistic Model for Observed Decay Profiles},
author = {Rhys Ransome and Davide Proment and Ian A. Renfrew and Alberto Alberello},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.01528},
year = {2026}
}