Physics of the Seasonal Sea Ice Zone

The seasonal sea ice zone encompasses the region between the winter maximum and summer minimum sea ice extent. In both the Arctic and Antarctic, the majority of the ice cover can now be classified as seasonal. Here, we review the sea ice physics that governs the evolution of seasonal sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic, spanning sea ice growth, melt, and dynamics and including interactions with ocean surface waves as well as other coupled processes. The advent of coupled wave–ice modeling and discrete-element modeling, together with improved and expanded satellite observations and field campaigns, has yielded advances in process understanding. Many topics remain in need of further investigation, including rheologies appropriate for seasonal sea ice, wave-induced sea ice fracture, welding for sea ice freeze-up, and the distribution of snow on seasonal sea ice. Future research should aim to redress biases (such as disparities in focus between the Arctic and Antarctic and between summer and winter processes) and connect observations to modeling across spatial scales.