Representation of polynyas in the Ross Sea coupled atmosphere–sea ice–ocean model P-SKRIPSv2

Abstract. Antarctic coastal polynyas are regions of intense air-sea exchange, strongly influenced by atmospheric winds, and significantly impacting sea ice formation and high salinity shelf water production. These areas play a key role in local and global climate feedback mechanisms. Due to their remote location and harsh conditions, direct sampling of polynyas is challenging, and capturing their dynamics in coupled climate models is difficult, especially when such models operate at coarse spatial resolutions.

In this study, we employ the regional P-SRKIPSv2 coupled atmosphere–sea ice–ocean model to simulate polynya activity in the Ross Sea. We evaluate the ability of the model to represent atmospheric and oceanic states and explore the sensitivity of the results to variations in the air-sea ice drag coefficient. Our findings demonstrate that P-SRKIPSv2 is a robust and effective tool for investigating polynya processes, including their drivers and impacts, in the Ross Sea region.