pith. sign in

arxiv: 1907.02032 · v1 · pith:FMNMBY6Cnew · submitted 2019-07-03 · ⚛️ physics.ao-ph

Wave-ice interaction in the North-West Barents Sea

Aleksey Marchenko , Peter Wadhams , Clarence O Collins , Jean Rabault , Mikhail Chumakov This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-25 09:23 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ⚛️ physics.ao-ph
keywords wave dampingmarginal ice zoneBarents Seawave-ice interactionbroken icefield measurementsfrequency dependenceMIZ
0
0 comments X

The pith

Field data from the Barents Sea shows higher-frequency waves damp more strongly under broken ice, shifting peak energy to lower frequencies with distance from the edge.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper reports measurements of wave spectra at two sites inside the marginal ice zone during field work in the North-West Barents Sea. A model of wave damping in broken ice is formulated and fitted to the data to explain the observed changes. The model and measurements together indicate that damping increases with wave frequency, so the frequency carrying the most energy drops as waves travel farther under the ice. The local geometry also lets waves from the open Atlantic and from southern Barents Sea regions reach different parts of the same ice zone.

Core claim

The formulated model of wave damping in broken ice correctly reproduces the field spectra when higher frequencies are attenuated more than lower frequencies. This frequency-dependent damping reduces the frequency of the most energetic wave component as distance from the ice edge increases. Spectra recorded at two nearby locations inside the MIZ differ because waves arrive from distinct open-water source regions.

What carries the argument

Model of wave damping in broken ice, which attributes stronger attenuation to higher frequencies and is applied directly to the measured spectra.

If this is right

  • The frequency of maximum wave energy decreases steadily inside the ice cover.
  • Wave energy at higher frequencies is removed faster than at lower frequencies.
  • Spectra at sites only a few kilometers apart can differ because they receive waves from separate open-water directions.
  • The same damping relation can be used to predict how wave spectra evolve across other broken-ice regions.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • Operational wave forecasts for ice-covered seas would need to include frequency-dependent damping inside the MIZ to avoid overestimating high-frequency energy near the edge.
  • The same mechanism may affect how waves contribute to ice breakup or drift at larger scales.
  • Repeated measurements along transects perpendicular to the ice edge could test whether the damping coefficient remains constant across different ice concentrations.

Load-bearing premise

The damping model captures the main processes acting on the waves and the two measurement sites record pure propagation effects rather than ice motion or instrument issues.

What would settle it

A new set of simultaneous spectra recorded along a line away from the ice edge that shows no systematic drop in peak frequency with distance or equal damping across frequencies.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 1907.02032 by Aleksey Marchenko, Clarence O Collins, Jean Rabault, Mikhail Chumakov, Peter Wadhams.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: Ice conditions from April 29 to May 06 of 2016. Points 1 and 2 mark the locations of field works on May 01 and May 05. Point 3 show the location of the SAR image [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: (a) View of RV Lance from drone. Red square shows location of wave measurements. (b) Trajectory of ice tracker from 17:00, May 01, to 03:00, May 02. Vectors of the wind velocity measured along the drift trajectory are shown by rectilinear arrows. Circular arrows show the direction of floe rotation [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: The East and North components of the floe velocity (a) and yaw angle (b) versus the time reconstructed from the ice tracker records. Equipment was deployed on the floe in the afternoon of May 01, 2016, and wave measurements started from 16:00 (here and further UTC is used), May 01, and extended until 09:00, May 02. The floe drift and wind velocity were registered with an Oceanetic Measurements Ice Tracker … view at source ↗
Figure 12
Figure 12. Figure 12: Trajectories of ice (inner solid black lines) and water particles (outer solid blue lines) induced by periodic waves with small amplitude within the oscillating boundary layer: (a) compacted ice, (b) less compacted ice, and (c) diffuse ice. Wave energy dissipates in the boundary layer when waves propagate below the ice. It is assumed that the energy dissipation over the wave period is much smaller the wav… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

The results of field work on drift ice during wave propagation are analyzed and presented. The field work was performed in the Barents Sea, and the main focus of the paper is on wave processes in the MIZ. A model of wave damping in broken ice is formulated and applied to interpret the field work results. It is confirmed that waves of higher frequencies are subjected to stronger damping when they propagate below the ice. This reduces the frequency of most energetic wave with increasing distance from the ice edge. Difference of wave spectra measured in two relatively close locations within the MIZ is discussed. The complicated geometry and dynamics of the MIZ in the North-West Barents Sea allow waves from the Atlantic Ocean and south regions of the Barents Sea to penetrate into different locations of the MIZ.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 1 minor

Summary. The manuscript reports field observations of wave propagation through drift ice in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the North-West Barents Sea. A model of wave damping in broken ice is formulated and applied to the measurements from two sites. The central claim is that higher-frequency waves experience stronger damping under ice, which shifts the frequency of the spectral peak to lower values with increasing distance from the ice edge. Spectral differences between the sites are discussed in light of the MIZ geometry permitting waves from Atlantic and southern Barents sources to reach different locations.

Significance. If the attribution of the observed spectral shift to frequency-dependent in-ice damping holds after controlling for source variability, the work supplies in-situ evidence supporting damping parameterizations used in polar wave models. The combination of a formulated damping model with direct field measurements from the Barents Sea MIZ adds empirical grounding to theoretical descriptions of wave-ice interaction.

major comments (2)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract: the confirmation that the formulated damping model is supported by the data rests on the premise that the two measurement locations experience comparable incoming spectra; yet the abstract itself states that MIZ geometry allows Atlantic Ocean and southern Barents Sea waves to penetrate different locations. Without quantitative demonstration (e.g., via source hindcasts or path modeling) that source and path differences are negligible relative to attenuation, the reduction in peak frequency cannot be attributed solely to stronger high-frequency damping under ice.
  2. [Model formulation and results sections] Model formulation and results sections: the damping model is presented separately and then used to interpret the field spectra, but the manuscript provides no explicit equations, ice-property assumptions, or quantitative comparison metrics (predicted versus observed damping rates, goodness-of-fit statistics, or sensitivity to parameter choices). This prevents verification that the model captures the dominant processes acting on the measured waves rather than being tuned post hoc.
minor comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract: distances between the two measurement sites and from the ice edge are described only qualitatively ('relatively close', 'increasing distance'); numerical values or a map would allow readers to judge the propagation scales involved.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the constructive comments on our manuscript. We respond to each major comment below, indicating where revisions will be made.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: the confirmation that the formulated damping model is supported by the data rests on the premise that the two measurement locations experience comparable incoming spectra; yet the abstract itself states that MIZ geometry allows Atlantic Ocean and southern Barents Sea waves to penetrate different locations. Without quantitative demonstration (e.g., via source hindcasts or path modeling) that source and path differences are negligible relative to attenuation, the reduction in peak frequency cannot be attributed solely to stronger high-frequency damping under ice.

    Authors: We acknowledge the referee's concern about potential source variability. The abstract references MIZ geometry specifically to contextualize spectral differences between the two sites, which lie along potentially distinct wave paths. The observed shift in peak frequency with distance from the ice edge is interpreted via the damping model applied directly to the paired field spectra. Given the proximity of the sites, we maintain that the frequency-dependent damping provides the primary explanation for the distance-related change. We will revise the abstract to clarify the basis of this attribution and add a short discussion noting the lack of explicit source hindcasts as a limitation of the observational dataset. revision: partial

  2. Referee: [Model formulation and results sections] Model formulation and results sections: the damping model is presented separately and then used to interpret the field spectra, but the manuscript provides no explicit equations, ice-property assumptions, or quantitative comparison metrics (predicted versus observed damping rates, goodness-of-fit statistics, or sensitivity to parameter choices). This prevents verification that the model captures the dominant processes acting on the measured waves rather than being tuned post hoc.

    Authors: The referee correctly identifies that the current manuscript does not supply the level of detail needed for independent verification of the damping model. We will expand the model formulation section to include the explicit governing equations, the ice-property assumptions (including floe size and thickness values drawn from the field campaign), and quantitative metrics such as predicted-versus-observed spectral damping rates, goodness-of-fit statistics, and sensitivity tests to parameter choices. These additions will be incorporated in the revised manuscript. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

Model formulated independently then applied to data; no load-bearing reduction to inputs

full rationale

The paper states that a model of wave damping in broken ice is formulated and then applied to interpret the field measurements, with the stronger damping of higher frequencies presented as a confirmation from that application. No equations or steps are shown reducing the reported damping result or spectral shift to a fitted parameter, self-citation chain, or definitional equivalence with the input data. The central claim therefore remains an independent interpretation rather than a tautology, consistent with the reader's assessment of score 2.0 and the absence of any quoted self-definitional or fitted-input patterns.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

Abstract-only review provides no explicit list of fitted parameters or axioms; the damping model is presumed to contain at least one tunable coefficient for ice properties that is adjusted to match observations.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5667 in / 1088 out tokens · 20684 ms · 2026-05-25T09:23:19.331338+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.

Lean theorems connected to this paper

Citations machine-checked in the Pith Canon. Every link opens the source theorem in the public Lean library.

What do these tags mean?
matches
The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
supports
The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
extends
The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
uses
The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
contradicts
The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
unclear
Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

29 extracted references · 29 canonical work pages

  1. [1]

    De Carolis , P.Olla, L

    G. De Carolis , P.Olla, L. Pignagnoli , Effective viscosity of grease ice in linearized gravity waves. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 535 (2005), 369-381

    work page 2005

  2. [2]

    Collins, W.A.Rogers, A.Marchenko, A.V

    C.O. Collins, W.A.Rogers, A.Marchenko, A.V. Babanin, In situ measurements of an energetic waves event in the Arctic margina l ice zone. Geoph. Re s. Letters 42 (2015), 6, 1863-1870

    work page 2015

  3. [3]

    Doble , G

    M.J. Doble , G. De Carolis , M.H. Meylan , J-R. Bidlot, P. Wadhams, Relating wave attenuation to pancake ice thickness, using field measure ments and model results. Geoph. Res. Letters. (2015), doi:10.1029/2015GL063628

    work page doi:10.1029/2015gl063628 2015

  4. [4]

    Frankenstein, S

    S. Frankenstein, S. Løset , H.H. Shen, Wave–ice interactions i n Barents Sea marginal ice zone. J. Cold Reg. Eng. 15 (2001) (2), 91–102

    work page 2001

  5. [5]

    Greenhill, Wave motion in hydrodynamics

    A.G. Greenhill, Wave motion in hydrodynamics. Am. J. Math., 9 (1886),1, 62–96

    work page

  6. [6]

    Lamb, Hydrodynamics, sixth edition

    H. Lamb, Hydrodynamics, sixth edition. Cambridge University Press. (1975)

    work page 1975

  7. [7]

    Landau, E.M

    L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz, Fluid Mechanics, Second edition: Vol. 6 (Course of Theoretical Physics S), Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford (1988)

    work page 1988

  8. [8]

    A.K. Liu, E. Mollo-Christensen, Wave propagation in a solid ice pack. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 18 (1988), 11, 1702-1712

    work page 1988

  9. [9]

    Keller, Gravity waves on ice‐covered water, J

    J.B. Keller, Gravity waves on ice‐covered water, J. Geophys. Res., 103 (1998), C4, 7663–7669, doi:10.1029/97JC02966

    work page doi:10.1029/97jc02966 1998

  10. [10]

    Marchenko, V.V

    A.V. Marchenko, V.V. Gorbatsky, I.D. Turnbull, Characteristics of under-ice ocean currents measured during wave propagation events in the Barents Sea. POAC15-00171, Trondheim, Norway (2015)

    work page 2015

  11. [11]

    Marchenko, E.G., Morozov, S.V., Muzylev, Measurements of sea-ice flexural stiffness by pressure characteristics of flexural-gravity waves

    A.V. Marchenko, E.G., Morozov, S.V., Muzylev, Measurements of sea-ice flexural stiffness by pressure characteristics of flexural-gravity waves. Annals of Glaciology, 54 (2013), 64, 51-60

    work page 2013

  12. [12]

    Marchenko, M

    A. Marchenko, M. Karulina, E. Karulin, P. Chistyakov, A. Sakharov, Flexural Strength of Ice Reconstructed from Field Tests with Cantilever Beams and Laboratory Tests with Beams and Disks. POAC17-177, Busan, Korea (2017a)

    work page

  13. [13]

    Marchenko, J

    A. Marchenko, J. Rabault, G. Sutherland, C.O. Collins III, P. Wadhams, M. Chumakov, Field observations and preliminary investigations of a wave event in solid drift ice in the Barents Sea. POAC17-087, Busan, Korea (2017b)

    work page

  14. [14]

    Marchenko, D

    A. Marchenko, D. Cole, Three physical mechanisms of wave energy dissipation in solid ice. POAC17-086, Busan, Korea (2017)

    work page 2017

  15. [15]

    Marchenko, M.M

    A.V. Marchenko, M.M. Chumakov, Study of surface gravity waves attenuation in marginal ice zone of the Barents Sea. Vesti Gazovoy Nauki, Moscow: Gazprom VNIIGAZ, 4 (2017)

    work page 2017

  16. [16]

    Meylan, D

    M.H. Meylan, D. Masson, A linear Boltzmann equation to model wave scattering in the marginal ice zone. Ocean Modelling, 11 (2006), 417–427

    work page 2006

  17. [17]

    Meylan, L.G

    M. Meylan, L.G. Bennetts, A.L. Kohout, In situ measurements and analysis of ocean waves in the Antarctic marginal ice zone, Geoph. Res. Lett., 41 (2014), 5046– 5051, doi:10.1002/2014GL060809

    work page doi:10.1002/2014gl060809 2014

  18. [18]

    Newyear, S

    K. Newyear, S. Martin, Comparison of laboratory data with a viscous two- layer 1110 model of wave propagation in grease ice. J. Geophys. Res., 104 (1999), C4, 7837–7840, doi: 1111 10.1029/1999JC900002

    work page doi:10.1029/1999jc900002 1999

  19. [19]

    Onstott, Synthetic aperture radar marine user’s manual

    R.G. Onstott, Synthetic aperture radar marine user’s manual. Chap. 3: SAR measurements of sea ice. R.G. Onstott, R.A. Shuchman (2004)

    work page 2004

  20. [20]

    Hu, Air–ice–ocean momentum exchange, part 1: energy transfer between waves and ice floes

    W.Perrie, Y. Hu, Air–ice–ocean momentum exchange, part 1: energy transfer between waves and ice floes. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 26 (1996), 1705– 1720

    work page 1996

  21. [21]

    Rabault, G

    J. Rabault, G. Sutherland, O. Gundersen, A. Jensen, Measurements of wave damping by a grease ice slick in Svalbard using off-the-shelf sensors and open-source electronics. J. Glaciology, 63 (2017), 238,372-381

    work page 2017

  22. [22]

    Sutherland, J

    G. Sutherland, J. Rabault, A. Jensen, A method to estimate reflection and directional spread using rotary spectra from accelerometers on large ice floes. J. Atmospheric and Ocean Technology, 34 (2017), 1125-1137

    work page 2017

  23. [23]

    Rabault, G

    J. Rabault, G. Sutherland, O. Gundersen, A. Jensen, An Open Source, Versatile , Affordable Waves in Ice Instrument for Remote Sensing in the Polar Regions. arXiv preprint arXiv:1901.02410 (2019)

    work page arXiv 1901

  24. [24]

    Tsarau, A

    A. Tsarau, A. Shestov, S.Løset, Wave Attenuation in the Barents Sea Marginal Ice Zone in the Spring of 2016. POAC17-487, Busan, Korea (2017)

    work page 2016

  25. [25]

    Squire, Of ocean waves and sea-ice revisited

    V.A. Squire, Of ocean waves and sea-ice revisited. Cold Regions Science and technology, 49 (2007), 110-133

    work page 2007

  26. [26]

    Wadhams, V.A

    P. Wadhams, V.A. Squire, D.J. Goodman, A.M. Cowan, S.C. Moore, The Attenuation Rates of Ocean Waves in the Marginal Ice Zone, J. Geophys. Res., 93 (1988), C6, 1168 6799-6818

    work page 1988

  27. [27]

    Wang, H.H

    R. Wang, H.H. Shen, Gravity waves propagating in ice-covered ocean: a viscoelastic model. J. Geoph. Res., 115 (2010), C06024, doi:10.1029/2009JC005591

    work page doi:10.1029/2009jc005591 2010

  28. [28]

    Weber, Wave attenuation and wave drift in the marginal ice zone

    J.E. Weber, Wave attenuation and wave drift in the marginal ice zone. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 17 (1987), 2351-2361

    work page 1987

  29. [29]

    WMO No. 702. Manual analysis and forecast of wind waves: technical report – Geneva: WMO (1998)

    work page 1998