TEOS-10 implementation in Icepack #540
Description
Ocean models’ implementation of the TEOS-10 equation of state and concerns about proper ice-ocean coupling are generating a need to update the freezing point calculation in CICE/Icepack and more generally to improve the mushy thermodynamics, which assumes a piecewise linear liquidus relation (Assur 1958). Martin Vancoppenolle has pointed out that the new TEOS-10 formulation is incorrect for high salinities, as are found in sea ice brine. E3SM is writing a technical document for mushy thermodynamics with TEOS-10, and developing a test model in python to check coupling.
Frazil ice coupling between the ice and ocean also presents challenges. While we will allow full thermohaline coupling, a few modeling centers continue to use virtual fluxes and/or fixed salinity values for coupling. We will need to revisit the current code options to check/improve consistency.
See comments regarding tfrz_option in CICE-Consortium/CICE#1033.
Team members interested in working together on this topic include @anton-seaice, @proteanplanet, @dabail10, @NickSzapiro-NOAA, and @eclare108213.