Drag Forces in a Coupled Wave-Ice Model: Implementation and Testing

We are developing a system for modeling the interactions between ocean surface waves and polar ice floes, which consists of a nonhydrostatic, finite-volume wave model (NHWAVE) coupled to a discrete element, particle-tracking ice model (LIGGGHTS). The effects of drag forces between fluid and ice were recently implemented in the coupled system. The drag formulations assume that the fluid velocity profile at the interface is logarithmic, leading to a drag coefficient that is a function of both grid size and a configurable roughness height. Net forcing vectors acting on the ice in each fluid cell are computed in the wave model and passed to the ice model at each time step. The vectors combine forces due to drag with additional forces due to dynamic pressure (buoyancy effects are computed separately in LIGGGHTS). This presentation will provide further details on these new features and summarize the results of several tests conducted to validate them.