Simulating Dynamics and Ecology of the Sea Ice of the White Sea by the Coupled Ice–Ocean Numerical Model

Abstract

In this paper, a numerical model of the White Sea is presented. The White Sea is a small shallow sea with strong tidal currents and complex ice behavior. The model is the only comprehensive numerical model for the White Sea. It consists of several coupled submodels (for water, ice, pelagic, and sympagic ecology). In this work, the focus is on the dynamics of sea ice and its ecosystem. The model is described and its results are compared to available sea–ice data, mostly satellite data. The spatial resolution of the model is 3 km. High current velocities require the time step of 3 min. The model is shown to reproduce sea–ice concentration well; in particular, timing of the sea ice is perfect. The dynamics of the sea–ice ecosystem also looks reasonable. Chlorophyll-a content agrees well with measurements, and the ratio of algal, bacterial, and faunal biomass is correct. Sympagic biomass is underestimated. Light is limiting at the early stage of sympagic bloom, nutrient limitation is for the second half. We show that sympagic component influences the spring bloom (in terms of timing and height of the peaks) but has little effect on the dynamics during the warm period of the year.

Keywords

• White Sea
• sea ice
• numerical simulation
• marine ecology dynamics
• sympagic ecology