Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6807-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6807-2025
Research article
 | 
17 Dec 2025
Research article |  | 17 Dec 2025

Quantifying the interplay of sea ice meltwater and ice–albedo feedbacks in the Arctic ice-ocean system

Haohao Zhang, Andrea Storto, Xuezhi Bai, and Chunxue Yang

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Response of the Arctic sea ice–ocean system to meltwater perturbations based on a one-dimensional model study
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Cited articles

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Barton, B. I., Lenn, Y.-D., and Lique, C.: Observed Atlantification of the Barents Sea Causes the Polar Front to Limit the Expansion of Winter Sea Ice, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 48, 1849–1866, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-18-0003.1, 2018. 
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Short summary
Using a 1D coupled ice-ocean model, we quantified the effects of meltwater and ice-albedo feedback independently. The meltwater reduces melting by 19 % through thermal isolation, while ice-albedo feedback increases melting by 41 %, with nonlinear coupling between them. In winter, meltwater protects ice in weakly stratified areas by blocking Atlantic heat. Our study provides new insights into the relative importance of different components in the Arctic ice-ocean system.
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