Abstract:
A new state-of-art dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model, the Meteorological Institute's Ice Model (MI-IM), has been developed based on the elastic-viscous-plastic (EVP) dynamics of Hunke and Dukowicz and the thermodynamics of Mellor and Kantha. This model has replaced an earlier model based on the viscous-plastic dynamics, after several tests and comparisons. Tested in particular was the model's
... ability to transport ice around an obstruction in the form of an obtrusive promontory. The old model seemed to have a too stiff ice rheology, which resulted in a too low ice transport between islands etc. The influence of the obstruction was also then extending far beyond the areas where one would expect it to be. In addition, the model seemed to give too low ice drift velocities. The reason for this was also found to be associated with the too stiff ice rheology.
It has been demonstrated that the new ice model handles obstructions in a much more realistic way. The influence of the obstruction is limited to a much smaller area, and also, the ice drift velocities are larger and more consistent with empirical rules for ice drift. The new ice model has been coupled to both ocean models MI-POM and MICOM and the atmosphere models HIRHAM and MM5. Simulations utilizing the new coupled systems are in progress.
[Summary obtained from the Meteorological Institute's Ice Model (MI-IM)'s home page] 
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