First results from WP4 in DAMOCLES, in which the atmospheric model HIRLAM (High-Resolution Limited Area Model) has been coupled (two-way) with the ocean model HIROMB (High-Resolution Operational Model for the Baltic) and set up to cover the Arctic. The main aim is a coupled atmosphere-ice-ocean reanalysis (i.e. including data assimilation) covering January 2005 to December 2007. The horizontal resolution is 0.2 degrees (about 22 km) for both the atmosphere and the ocean. The atmosphere model has 40 hybrid levels and the ocean model has 208 z levels with a maximum depth of 5500 m. The production of the reanalysis data set has recently started and currently (February 2009) covers the first three months.

Figure 1: Monthly mean (March 2005) values of Sea-Surface Temperature and ridged (deformed) ice thickness. The arrows show the monthly mean ice drift. Note the areas of deformed ice north of Greenland and north of Canada.

 (a)(b)

(c)(d)

Figure 2: Panel (a) shows the location of a cross section that runs through the Fram Strait. Panels (b) and (c) show enlargments of salinity and temperature across the Fram Strait, respectively, with Greenland to the left and Svalbard to the right. Panel (d) shows a current component that is directed approximately northward. Blue colors mean southward transport. Note how the location of the southward current seems to be determined by the deep topography several hundred meters down, rather than the Greenland coast. All figures are from Sepember 30, 2005, from an earlier test run.