Clarify the physical mechanisms of waves-in-ice attenuation

Determine the detailed physical mechanisms responsible for the attenuation of ocean waves propagating through the Marginal Ice Zone and pack ice, specifically assessing wave refraction and diffraction by individual floes, viscous damping at the ice–water interface, viscoelastic losses within ice, turbulence production and dissipation in the underlying water, and floe–floe interactions, and establish their roles under realistic field conditions.

Background

Wave attenuation within the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) protects the inner pack from energetic ocean waves. While many candidate processes have been proposed to explain this attenuation, the paper emphasizes that the detailed physics remain unresolved, limiting the accuracy of coupled weather and climate models in polar regions.

The authors list specific hypothesized mechanisms—including refraction/diffraction by floes, viscous damping at the interface, viscoelasticity, turbulence, and floe–floe collisions—but stress that the details are still unclear. Their in-situ observations of collision-like events suggest collisions may contribute significantly to attenuation, yet comprehensive attribution among mechanisms is lacking.