STUDY OF WAVE-CURRENT-ICE INTERACTIONS OVER THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC

Abstract

This thesis investigates the effects of important physical processes of the wave-current-ice interactions on the surface waves and three-dimensional (3D) circulations in the northwest Atlantic (NWA). A one-way coupled wave-circulation-ice model for the NWA is developed to evaluate four different packages for the wind input and wave dissipation. The model is also used to investigate wave propagations in ice. To improve the performance of the commonly-used drag coefficient, a new parameterization of the drag coefficient is proposed based on observations. A new parameterization for depth-induced wave breaking over shallow waters is also proposed, in which the breaker index has a nonlinear dependence on the bottom slope. These new parameterizations are used in a two-way coupled wave-circulation model for the study of WCIs during Hurricanes Earl and Igor in 2010. The inclusion of WCIs in the coupled model significantly improves the model performance.