Decohesion with refreezing

In a previous paper, an elastic-decohesive model was developed for sea ice. Unlike previous models, orientation and displacement discontinuity associated with lead opening are specifically predicted. However, over the course of a season a specific lead may open and close several times with significant implications related to ice production and heat flux. The focus of this paper is to indicate, in a generic manner, how the formation of new ice by freezing within a lead and the recovery of tensile strength by the freezing of ridges can be accommodated easily within the decohesive structure. A sample simulation is provided to show the implications of these additional terms on ice production over several cycles of lead opening and closing.

► The model predicts the initiation and orientation of leads.
► The model indicates lead opening and closing due to forcing.
► A new feature is lead refreezing to resist further opening.