Bennetts Luke G, Bitz Cecilia M, Feltham Daniel L, Kohout Alison L, Meylan Michael H
School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2022 Oct 31;380(2235):20210265. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2021.0265. Epub 2022 Sep 12.
The marginal ice zone (MIZ) is the dynamic interface between the open ocean and sea ice-covered ocean. It is characterized by interactions between surface gravity waves and granular ice covers consisting of relatively small, thin chunks of sea ice known as floes. This structure gives the MIZ markedly different properties to the thicker, quasi-continuous ice cover of the inner pack that waves do not reach, strongly influencing various atmosphere-ocean fluxes, especially the heat flux. The MIZ is a significant component of contemporary sea ice covers in both the Antarctic, where the ice cover is surrounded by the Southern Ocean and its fierce storms, and the Arctic, where the MIZ now occupies vast expanses in areas that were perennial only a decade or two ago. The trend towards the MIZ is set to accelerate, as it reinforces positive feedbacks weakening the ice cover. Therefore, understanding the complex, multiple-scale dynamics of the MIZ is essential to understanding how sea ice is evolving and to predicting its future. This article is part of the theme issue 'Theory, modelling and observations of marginal ice zone dynamics: multidisciplinary perspectives and outlooks'.
边缘冰区（MIZ）是开阔海洋与海冰覆盖海洋之间的动态界面。其特征是表面重力波与由相对较小、较薄的海冰块（称为浮冰）组成的颗粒状冰盖之间的相互作用。这种结构使边缘冰区具有与内部冰原较厚、准连续且波浪无法到达的冰盖明显不同的特性，强烈影响着各种海气通量，尤其是热通量。边缘冰区是当代南极和北极海冰覆盖的重要组成部分。在南极，冰盖被南大洋及其猛烈风暴环绕；在北极，边缘冰区如今在仅一二十年前还是常年结冰的区域占据了广阔空间。边缘冰区的这种趋势预计将加速，因为它强化了削弱冰盖的正反馈。因此，了解边缘冰区复杂的多尺度动力学对于理解海冰如何演变以及预测其未来至关重要。本文是主题特刊“边缘冰区动力学的理论、建模与观测：多学科视角与展望”的一部分。
