Rigorous Analysis and Dynamics of Hibler's sea ice model

Abstract

This article develops for the first time a rigorous analysis of Hibler's model of sea ice dynamics. Identifying Hibler's ice stress as a quasilinear second order operator and regarding Hibler's model as a quasilinear evolution equation, it is shown that Hibler's coupled sea ice model, i.e., the model coupling velocity, thickness and compactness of sea ice, is locally strongly well-posed within the $L_q$-setting and also globally strongly well-posed for initial data close to constant equilibria.