SURFACE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC AND IN THE DRIFTING ICE OF THE ARCTIC

Abstract

Sea ice in the Arctic is one of the main dynamic elements in the interacting atmosphere–ice–ocean system. Currently, theoretical and experimental studies of drifting and soldered ice are used to develop predictive models of the mechanical state of sea ice. This paper presents the results of an experimental study of physical and mechanical processes on the surface of the Arctic Ocean. Field work was carried out using the spatial placement of autonomous seismic stations directly on the drifting ice. Data on surface gravitational waves of the ocean, accompanied by periodic deformations of bending and shear in the ice, have been obtained. On the basis of amplitude spectra, the features of the process of propagation of storm waves of swell in the ice cover are considered and a comparative analysis with map of maximum heights of sea waves is performed. A significant factor is the use of microseismic oscillations recorded at coastal stations of the Greenland Sea to determine the time and place of a powerful storm. The spectrum of the wave field in the ice sheet indicates an increase in the frequency of oscillations due to the dispersion of the wave field. New data have been obtained on the large-scale mechanics of the occurrence of cracks in the ice cover and discrete flexural-gravity waves as one of the main indicators of ice destruction. The results of the study are important for improving weather and climate forecasting models, as well as for solving engineering problems on the Arctic shelf.