Marginal ice zone dynamics during ocean freeze-up
What is the motivation?
Better understand and model how sea ice forms, consolidates, thickens, breaks-up and deforms in various environmental conditions. The project also aims to quantify how these processes affect the exchange of heat, momentum and matter between the atmosphere and the ocean at various scales.
Why does it matter?
Despite tremendous progress over the past decades, contemporary sea ice numerical models still lack critical physical representations, hindering the production of reliable environmental forecasts in polar and subpolar regions. The CASCADES Expedition offers a unique opportunity to collect a rich and diverse set of observational data that is necessary to advance our understanding of marginal ice zone dynamics and ocean freeze-up, and thus to improve monitoring and forecasting capabilities.
Project Focus
MIZOF focuses on the role surface waves play in the marginal ice zone. As frazil crystals forms in supercooled water, whether they consolidate into thin and dark nilas or drift and accumulate in windrows strongly depend on the wave regime and the rheological parameters of frazil. Characterizing these parameters and interactions in various weather conditions and wind configurations with respect to the larger scale ice distribution and orientation of the ice edge is a primary focus of our the project.
How will it be done?
During the second leg of the CASCADES Expedition, as the CCGS Amundsen will navigate back and forth across the marginal ice zone during 15 days, the team will collect observations of the ocean surface, the atmosphere and the upper ocean layer using satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), different types of cameras, an autonomous catamaran, wave buoys, acoustic current profilers, turbulence probes and various CTD profilers. Work on sea ice to measure its mechanical and morphological properties in situ, and collect samples for laboratory work onboard will also be done.
What will be collected?
With drones and cameras installed on ship’s hull, information will be collected about surface waves, surface thermal fluxes, frazil and sea ice morphological properties. An instrumented catamaran remotely operated from the ship will sample ocean turbulence at the same time it measures waves, wind, current and atmospheric turbulence. Free drifting buoys will inform us about incoming waves. Using instruments and methods specifically designed for this expedition, rheological parameters of frazil and grease ice, and mechanical properties of consolidated ice in various conditions will also be measured.
Members and partners
- Principal Investigators:
- Dany Dumont – Institut des Sciences de la Mer (UQAR), Rimouski, Canada
- Stéphane Perrard – Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (ESPCI), Paris, France
- Antonin Eddi – Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (ESPCI), Paris, France
- Other participants:
- Paul Nicot – Institut des Sciences de la Mer (UQAR), Rimouski, Canada
- Christopher Bouillon – Institut des Sciences de la Mer (UQAR), Rimouski, Canada
- Sébastien Prigent – Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (IFREMER), Plouzané, France
- Véronique Dansereau – Institut des Sciences de la Terre (IGE), Grenoble, France
- Vasco Zanchi – Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (ESPCI), Paris, France
- Inès de Kerangal – Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (ESPCI), Paris, France
- Matthieu Buisset – Institut des Sciences de la Terre (IGE), Grenoble, France
- Martin Caelen – Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (ESPCI), Paris, France
- Partners:
- Recherche en Prévision Numérique et Environnementale, Dorval, Canada
- Centre Météorologique Canadien, Dorval, Canada
- Environnement et Changement Climatique Canada, Gatineau, Canada
- Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Plouzané, France
- Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la MER, Plouzané, France