Prediction of the Current Structure Under Drifting Pack Ice

Abstract

A simple analytical theory which describes the motion in a turbulent planetary boundary layer near a rough sea bed by using a two-layer eddy viscosity model is presented. An inverted boundary layer similar to that at the sea bed is applicable under the pack ice. The vertical structure of the current in the boundary layer is presented, and comparisons are made with data from McPhee and Smith [1] obtained from measurements of the turbulent boundary layer under drifting Arctic pack ice. The present model predictions for the drag coefficient at the ice surface and the direction of the surface shear stress are also compared with corresponding formulas given in Davenport [2], which are obtained as fits to observations in atmospheric boundary layers.