Wave-induced atmosphere–ocean processes and their effects on Antarctic sea ice: A case study with an atmosphere–ocean–wave–sea ice coupled model
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: . Ocean waves are an important component of polar air–ocean–sea-ice interactions, but their indirect impacts on Antarctic sea ice through coupled atmosphere–ocean processes remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the influence of wave-induced processes on Antarctic sea ice using a newly developed regional atmosphere–ocean–wave–sea-ice coupled model. The model incorporated two wave-induced processes that affect the ocean and atmosphere: spray-mediated turbulent heat fluxes and Langmuir turbulence-enhanced vertical mixing. A set of pan-Antarctic simulations is conducted during the 2002 sea-ice growth season, including an explosive cyclone event in the Ross Sea, with both atmosphere-nudged and fully coupled configurations used to examine the role of atmospheric feedbacks. Wave-induced processes modify sea ice through their effects on the upper-ocean thermal state and air–sea energy exchange. In the atmosphere-nudged configuration, wave-induced responses are relatively weak and spatially coherent, with enhanced oceanic heat loss and upper-ocean cooling contributing to a modest increase in sea-ice extent. In contrast, fully coupled simulations produce substantially stronger and more heterogeneous sea-ice responses. The inclusion of wave processes alters surface heat fluxes, which modify near-surface atmospheric stability and circulation, leading to feedbacks that amplify regional variability in ocean temperature and sea-ice conditions. The strongest responses occur near the Antarctic marginal ice zone, where wave penetration into partially ice-covered regions enhances spray-mediated heat loss and promotes local supercooling, favoring sea-ice formation. Our results demonstrate that ocean waves influence Antarctic sea ice not only through direct mechanical processes such as ice breakup, but also through indirect thermodynamic pathways involving air–sea exchange, upper-ocean mixing, and atmospheric circulation feedbacks. These results suggest that wave-related atmosphere–ocean–sea ice interactions represent a potentially important pathway affecting Antarctic sea-ice variability, motivating further investigation across different seasons, regions, and climate states.
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225824174
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