At a time when the polar regions are undergoing rapid and unprecedented change, understanding exchanges of momentum, heat and salt at the ice-ocean interface is critical for realistically predicting the future state of sea ice. By offering a measurement platform largely unaffected by surface waves, drifting sea ice provides a unique laboratory for studying aspects of geophysical boundary layer flows that are extremely difficult to measure elsewhere. This book draws on both extensive observations and theoretical principles to develop a concise description of the impact of stress, rotation, and buoyancy on the turbulence scales that control exchanges between the atmosphere and underlying ocean when sea ice is present. Several interesting and unique observational data sets are used to illustrate different aspects of ice-ocean interaction ranging from the impact of salt on melting in the Greenland Sea marginal ice zone, to how nonlinearities in the equation of state for seawater affect mixing in the Weddell Sea. The book’s content, developed from a series of lectures, may be appropriate additional material for upper-level undergraduates and first-year graduate students studying the geophysics of sea ice and planetary boundary layers.

At a time when the polar regions are undergoing rapid and unprecedented change, understanding exchanges of momentum, heat and salt at the ice-ocean interface is critical for realistically predicting the future state of sea ice. By offering a measurement platform largely unaffected by surface waves, drifting sea ice provides a unique laboratory for studying aspects of geophysical boundary layer flows that are extremely difficult to measure elsewhere. This book draws on both extensive observations and theoretical principles to develop a concise description of the impact of stress, rotation, and buoyancy on the turbulence scales that control exchanges between the atmosphere and underlying ocean when sea ice is present. Several interesting and unique observational data sets are used to illustrate different aspects of ice-ocean interaction ranging from the impact of salt on melting in the Greenland Sea marginal ice zone, to how nonlinearities in the equation of state for seawater affect mixing in the Weddell Sea. The book’s content, developed from a series of lectures, may be appropriate additional material for upper-level undergraduates and first-year graduate students studying the geophysics of sea ice and planetary boundary layers.

With both the growing importance of integrating studies of air-sea interaction and the interest in the general problem of global warming, the appearance of the second edition of this popular text is especially welcome. Thoroughly updated and revised, the authors have retained the accessible, comprehensive expository style that distinguished the earlier edition. Topics include the state of matter near the interface, radiation, surface wind waves, turbulent transfer near the interface, the planetary boundary layer, atmospherically-forced perturbations in the oceans, and large-scale forcing by sea surface buoyancy fluxes. This book will be welcomed by students and professionals in meteorology, physical oceanography, physics and ocean engineering.

This document describes the research strategy for a series of mesoscale studies of Arctic marginal ice zones. The main goal of this program is to gain a better understanding of the processes occurring at the ice margin. These processes are relevant to climate, weather forecasting, petroleum exploration and production, marine transportation, naval operations, and commercial fisheries. In addition, MIZEX will aid in determining what modifications to existing ice-ocean-atmospheric models are needed for better prediction near the ice margin. These goals are consistent with recommendations made by international scientific bodies, most notably those of the Joint Scientific Committee (JSC) in its plan for the World Climate Research Programme (WMO-ICSU, 1981). In this document the JSC states that for improved modeling it is necessary: 'To study the physical processes affecting interactions between air, ice and sea at the sea-ice margin and to develop methods for their adequate representation in climate models.' More specific details on initial field programs will be addressed in planning meetings in the near future. In addition, it is anticipated that other aspects of the program, such as modeling, will be addressed in future workshops, with the results distributed in a similar format to this research strategy.

This document describes the research strategy for a series of mesoscale studies of Arctic marginal ice zones. The main goal of this program is to gain a better understanding of the processes occurring at the ice margin. These processes are relevant to climate, weather forecasting, petroleum exploration and production, marine transportation, naval operations, and commercial fisheries. In addition, MIZEX will aid in determining what modifications to existing ice-ocean-atmospheric models are needed for better prediction near the ice margin. These goals are consistent with recommendations made by international scientific bodies, most notably those of the Joint Scientific Committee (JSC) in its plan for the World Climate Research Programme (WMO-ICSU, 1981). In this document the JSC states that for improved modeling it is necessary: 'To study the physical processes affecting interactions between air, ice and sea at the sea-ice margin and to develop methods for their adequate representation in climate models.' More specific details on initial field programs will be addressed in planning meetings in the near future. In addition, it is anticipated that other aspects of the program, such as modeling, will be addressed in future workshops, with the results distributed in a similar format to this research strategy.