Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3883-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3883-2023
Research article
 | 
07 Sep 2023
Research article |  | 07 Sep 2023

Phase-field models of floe fracture in sea ice

Huy Dinh, Dimitrios Giannakis, Joanna Slawinska, and Georg Stadler

Data sets

SeaIce-Math/FloeFrac: 1.1 (1.1) Huy Dinh and Dimitris Giannakis https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8290728

Model code and software

SeaIce-Math/FloeFrac: 1.1 (1.1) Huy Dinh and Dimitris Giannakis https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8290728

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Short summary
We develop a numerical method to simulate the fracture in kilometer-sized chunks of floating ice in the ocean. Our approach uses a mathematical model that balances deformation energy against the energy required for fracture. We study the strength of ice chunks that contain random impurities due to prior damage or refreezing and what types of fractures are likely to occur. Our model shows that crack direction critically depends on the orientation of impurities relative to surrounding forces.