Melt ponds and atmosphere-ice-ocean exchange in the UK Met Office Unified Model during the Arctic Summertime Cyclones field campaign

Melt ponds play a key role in the Arctic sea-ice surface energy budget. Their reduced albedo compared to the surrounding ice and snow surfaces increases the absorption of short-wave radiation and enhances ice melt. Further, melt ponds affect atmosphere-ice-ocean surface turbulent exchanges of heat, moisture and momentum, which influence the structure of the overlying boundary layer. 

Simulation of melt ponds and surface exchange over sea ice in coupled numerical weather prediction models depends on parameterization schemes that need further development. However, the relationship between sea ice surface conditions and the overlying boundary layer is difficult to constrain due to the lack of in-situ observations in Arctic regions. 

We carried out the Arctic Summertime Cyclones project field campaign in July-August 2022 to make observations of sea-ice surface exchange and cyclone dynamics. Using the British Antarctic Survey MASIN Twin Otter aircraft we observed a range of sea ice surface types, some with a very high melt pond fraction during warm melt conditions, and the overlying atmospheric boundary layer. 

Using these observations to evaluate forecasts from the UK Met Office Unified Model, we show that a combination of deficiencies in the model sea ice field, melt pond representation and surface exchange parameterizations are linked to errors in the simulated boundary layer structure. In particular, the model consistently exhibits surface temperature and albedo biases over sea ice with melt ponds that act as sources of error in the surface energy budget.