Evolution of wave directional properties in sea ice

Abstract

Ocean waves and sea ice properties are intimately linked in the marginal ice zone (MIZ), nevertheless a definitive modelling paradigm for the wave attenuation in the MIZ is missing. The evolution of wave directional properties in the MIZ is a proxy for the main attenuation mechanism but paucity of measurements and disagreement between them contributed to current uncertainty. Here we provide an analytical evidence that viscous attenuation tilts the mean wave direction orthogonal to the sea ice edge and the narrows directionality. Departure from this behaviour are attributed to bimodality of the spectrum. We also highlight the need for high quality directional measurements to reduce uncertainty in the definition of the attenuation rate.