Effect of ice cover on the dynamics and energetics of surface and internal tides in the white sea: Model estimates

The effect of ice cover on the dynamics and energetics of surface and internal tides in the White Sea is investigated using the three-dimensional finite-element hudrothermodynamic model QUODDY-4. The sea ice is represented as a continuous and motionless ice cover that can move vertically but not horizontally. It is assumed that the resulting changes in the tidal regime are the maximum possible in reference to those occurring in real conditions when, in the cold season, a continuous and motionless ice cover is ubiquitous only in Kandalaksha, Dvina, and Onega bays, while drift ices prevail in all other areas of the White Sea. It is shown that the effect of sea ice does not lead to a qualitative restructuring of the tidal regime. However, its quantitative changes prove to be significant, which indicates that the ice-induced seasonal variation in tidal characteristics in the White Sea is important.