Sensitivity of iceberg drift and deterioration simulations to input data from different ocean, sea ice and atmosphere models in the Barents Sea (Part II)

Abstract. Iceberg data in the Barents Sea is scarce. Numerical simulations of iceberg drift and deterioration as function of the environmental conditions, e.g. from models of atmosphere, ocean and sea ice, provide a useful mean to bridge this gap. The simulation results rely on the quality of the input data. We conduct a numerical experiment, in which we force an iceberg drift and deterioration model with combinations of two atmospheric reanalyses (ERA5, CARRA) and two ocean and sea ice models (Topaz, Barents-2.5) in the Barents Sea and the years of 2010–2014 and 2020–2021. Further, the impact on the simulation results is analysed. We found that simulation results of iceberg drift and deterioration are sensitive to the choice of the ocean and sea ice forcing data. The horizontal resolution bathymetry of the forcing data, especially in proximity to the coastlines, influence the availability and representability of the forcing information and, thus, the iceberg simulation results (e.g. occurrence and extent). Deviations in the ocean and sea ice variables in Barents-2.5 and Topaz caused considerable differences in the simulated large-scale and regional iceberg occurrence in the domain. The impact is especially large for sea ice variables. The impact of varied atmospheric forcing is secondary. In spite of varied environmental forcing, surprising similarities in the main iceberg pathways were observed.