[MITgcm-devel] seaice_solve4temp.F cleaning update

[Ian Fenty]

J-M,

> Sea-Ice physics:
> I think we should add the conductive heat flux as output argument of S/R solve4temp
> so that when the surface is melting (e.g., melting snow), we keep the 
> conductive heat flux Fc = effCond*(Tbase - Tsurf) = effCond*(-1.9 - 0)
> to melt the bottom of the ice (and not the snow as it is now)

Can you please clarify this idea for me?  When (Tbase - Tsurf) < 0 then the direction of the heat conduction is from the ice (or snow) surface down into the ice.  Why not melt from the top down?  What is the advantage of partitioning this component of the surface heat flux convergence to melt at the base?  I'm afraid I don't see the answer in the Nov 2010 discussion.

-Ian


> And use the surface heat flux convergence = Fc - F_ia to do surface melting.
> 
> If we follow this route, then it makes sense, after the tsurf iteration, 
> to update the atmospheric heat flux F_ia using the linearized approximation
> in order to conserve and to keep exactly Fc = F_ia when no surface melting.
> I tried to make this point a year ago, in this discussion:
> http://mitgcm.org/pipermail/mitgcm-devel/2010-November/004408.html
> but it only makes a difference if we export Fc to seaice_growth.
> 
> I am going to add this option (to update F_ia using linearized approximation)
> in case one day we want to improve seaice_growth.
> 
> Cheers,
> Jean-Michel
> 
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