Modeling sea-ice for climate research and short-term forcasting

Abstract

The CICE sea ice model is used extensively by climate and Earth system research groups, and also by operational centers for applications such as numerical weather prediction and guidance for military operations.  This presentation introduces the physics represented by large-scale sea-ice models, discusses some of the challenges in applying sea-ice modeling tools developed for research purposes for operational forecasting on short time scales, and highlights promising new directions in sea-ice modeling. The thread running through this discussion relates to the complexity needed to meet common yet distinct sea ice modeling objectives among different communities.