CAREER: Bridging Sea Ice Dynamics from Floe to Basin Scales

这个项目将帮助我们更好地了解海冰，它是我们气候的主要组成部分。海冰是由许多单独的冰块组成的，这个项目将研究这些冰块是如何破碎和变形的。研究人员的目标是创建一个新的海冰模型，以准确地模拟冰块的行为，并用它来解释观测结果。这个项目不仅可以提高我们的科学知识，还可以将现实世界的数据分析和建模技术带入课堂，培养新的科学家，并通过组织暑期教育项目为海洋学学生提供宝贵的机会。该项目的成果将与更广泛的科学界分享，以帮助他们更多地了解海冰和地球气候。该项目解决了加强我们对海冰过程的理解和建模的关键需求，海冰过程在塑造我们的气候方面发挥着重要作用。现有的气候模型分辨率很低，过于简化了海冰动力学。然而，当在较小的尺度上进行检查时，海冰显示出它本身是一个复杂的系统，由不同大小、厚度和形状的冰块相互作用而成。该项目的主要目标是改进小尺度海冰过程的表示，并建立与大尺度海冰动力学的明确联系。研究重点是通过数据分析、先进数值模拟和理论发展的协同结合，对海冰的变形和断裂进行建模。这项研究的创新之处在于创建了一个全新的海冰模型，该模型明确地捕捉了单个海冰块的生命周期。该模式的验证将利用卫星海冰观测。该模型将用于探索冰块的大小和厚度的统计特征如何受到它们的碰撞和变形物理的影响。这种方法旨在辨别小规模过程，如碰撞和断裂，对更大的海冰特征的影响，这些特征对于改善气候模型中的海冰代表性至关重要。该模型将向公众开放，以使更广泛的极地海洋学社区受益。除了科学进步之外，该项目还具有重要的教育成分。它打算将科学的数据分析和建模技术整合到研究生和本科生的课堂中，提供一个全面的研究生水平的海冰动力学课程。将当代研究材料纳入极地海洋学和气候动力学课程，进一步促进了教育推广。此外，该计划还包括一年一度的夏季项目“海洋学数据科学”，旨在吸引有才华的学生参加海洋学研究生课程。该计划旨在提供海洋教育和研究指导，特别是对那些可能没有这样机会的学生。该项目更广泛的影响延伸到培养新的极地科学家，支持一名博士生和众多暑期本科生从事研究活动。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will help us better understand sea ice, which is a major component of our climate. Sea ice is composed of many individual pieces and this project will study how these ice pieces break and deform. The researchers aim to create a new sea ice model to accurately model the behavior of ice pieces and use it to explain observations. This project will not only enhance our scientific knowledge but also bring real-world data analysis and modeling techniques into classrooms, train new scientists, and provide valuable opportunities for students in oceanography by organizing educational summer programs. The project's outcomes will be shared with the broader scientific community to help them learn more about sea ice and the Earth’s climate.This project addresses the critical need to enhance our understanding and modeling of sea ice processes, which play a significant role in shaping our climate. Existing climate models, with their coarse resolution, oversimplify sea ice dynamics. However, when examined at smaller scales, sea ice reveals itself as a complex system of interacting ice pieces with varying sizes, thicknesses, and shapes. The primary objectives of this project are to refine the representation of small-scale sea ice processes and establish clear connections to large-scale sea ice dynamics. The study focuses on modeling the deformation and fractures of sea ice pieces through a synergistic combination of data analysis, advanced numerical modeling, and theory development. The research's innovative aspect lies in the creation of a fundamentally new sea ice model that explicitly captures the life cycle of individual sea ice pieces. Validation of the model will utilize satellite sea ice observations. This model will be used to explore how statistical characteristics of the sizes and thickness of ice pieces are influenced by their collision and deformation physics. This approach aims to discern the impact of small-scale processes, like collisions and fractures, on larger sea ice characteristics that are crucial for improving sea ice representation in climate models. This model will be publicly accessible to benefit the broader polar oceanography community. Beyond scientific advancements, the project has a significant educational component. It intends to integrate scientific data analysis and modeling techniques into graduate and undergraduate classrooms, offering a comprehensive graduate-level course on sea ice dynamics. The incorporation of contemporary research material into polar oceanography and climate dynamics classes further contributes to educational outreach. Additionally, the initiative includes an annual summer program, Data Science in Oceanography, designed to attract talented students to graduate programs in oceanography. This program aims to provide ocean education and research mentoring, particularly to students who might not otherwise have such opportunities. The project's broader impact extends to the training of new polar scientists, supporting a Ph.D. student and numerous summer undergraduate students engaged in research activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.