A Regional Ice-Ocean Simulation of the Barents and Kara Seas

W. Paul Budgell
Institute of Marine Research and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
Bergen, Norway


A dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model has been ported to ROMS 2.1 and applied to study ice-ocean variability in the Barents-Kara Seas region. Simulations have been conducted for the period 1991-2001 using NCAR/NCEP Reanalysis forcing. A comparison with observations shows that the ice-ocean ROMS captures mesoscale variability in the Atlantic inflow to the Barents and in the marginal ice zone dynamics.