Wave-ice interaction in the North-West Barents Sea

Abstract

The results of field work on drift ice during wave propagation are analyzed and presented. The field work was performed in the Barents Sea, and the main focus of the paper is on wave processes in the MIZ. A model of wave damping in broken ice is formulated and applied to interpret the field work results. It is confirmed that waves of higher frequencies are subjected to stronger damping when they propagate below the ice. This reduces the frequency of most energetic wave with increasing distance from the ice edge. Difference of wave spectra measured in two relatively close locations within the MIZ is discussed. The complicated geometry and dynamics of the MIZ in the North-West Barents Sea allow waves from the Atlantic Ocean and south regions of the Barents Sea to penetrate into different locations of the MIZ.