A high-resolution regional ice-ocean coupled model is developed for the study of the seasonal sea ice variation in the Prydz bay. The model domain encompasses Prydz Bay and with a resolution of 1/6 o×1/12o.Forcing fields are computed from 6-hourly NCEP reanalysis. Seasonal sea ice variation characteristics and typical polynyas are well reproduced. Thick ice up to 3m is piled up at the east end of the West Ice Shelf (WIS) due to westward along coast current. Sensitivity experiments show that the ocean-to-ice heat transfer parameterization has significant influence on the sea ice evolution in the melting season.
The extent and thickness of sea-ice has a significant influence on the global climate system. The powerful "ice-albedo" feedback mechanism enormously enhances the climate response (IPCC, 2007). It can also act as an insulating layer, limiting heat loss from the ocean to the atmosphere. Sea ice around Antarctica varies from about 19 million square kilometers in the austral winter to about 3 million square kilometers in the summer (Cavalieri, 2003). Due to the freezing/melting of the sea ice, the Southern Ocean is a source of cold, dense water that is an essential driving force in the circulation of the world's oceans. The cooling of the ocean and the formation of sea-ice during winter increases the density of the water, which sinks from the sea surface into the deep sea. In the Antarctic, most observations are carried out during summer season due to its hostile weather, especially the presence of large scale sea ice during winter, which limits the traditional research method. Therefore, adopting reasonable sea ice-ocean coupled model, even including the atmosphere model to simulation the sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere change is an effective scheme (Tmmermann et al, 2002).
