Future ice-covered seas will encounter an increased amount of climate change-induced extreme weather. Together with other changes, the processes related to sea ice deformation, such as ice break-ups and ice ridge building, will become more frequent and stronger. Simulations can be used to predict the future of ice-covered seas, but it is challenging to simulate sea ice. Large-scale models are used to study ice behavior on a resolution of tens of kilometers, but their accuracy suffers from a lack of understanding of the small-scale deformation processes. Engineering-scale ice mechanics, on the other hand, is performed on scales ranging from one meter to one kilometer. DEMFLO bridges the scales in ice research; we link engineering-scale and large-scale ice studies. For the first time, a three-dimensional engineering-scale discrete element model is used to simulate large ice floes and their interaction. The project results into new insight on sea ice behavior and to new modeling tools.

2022

2026