Reconciling estimates of the ratio of heat and salt fluxes at the ice-ocean interface
The heat exchange between floating ice and the underlying ocean is determined by the interplay of diffusive fluxes directly at the ice–ocean interface and turbulent fluxes away from it. In this study, we examine this interplay through direct numerical simulations of free convection. Our results show...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Formato: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2016 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/188880 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/188880 https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2016JC012018 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Atmospheric physics Ice--Thermal properties Ocean--Thermal properties Ocean-atmosphere interaction Turbulent boundary layer Ocean Ice-ocean interface interface heat and salt fluxes Direct numerical simulation Capa límit (Meteorologia) Física atmosfèrica mar Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Física |
| Resumo: | The heat exchange between floating ice and the underlying ocean is determined by the interplay of diffusive fluxes directly at the ice–ocean interface and turbulent fluxes away from it. In this study, we examine this interplay through direct numerical simulations of free convection. Our results show that an estimation of the interface flux ratio based on direct measurements of the turbulent fluxes can be difficult because the flux ratio varies with depth. As an alternative, we present a consistent evaluation of the flux ratio based on the total heat and salt fluxes across the boundary layer. This approach allows us to reconcile previous estimates of the ice–ocean interface conditions. We find that the ratio of heat and salt fluxes directly at the interface is 83–100 rather than 33 as determined by previous turbulence measurements in the outer layer. This can cause errors in the estimated ice-ablation rate from field measurements of up to 40% if they are based on the three-equation formulation. |
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