Accurately representing sea ice processes and vertical mixing is critical for modeling ocean–atmosphere interactions, deep water formation, and the distribution of heat, salt, and momentum. In polar regions, sea ice dynamics and thermodynamics play a central role in modulating surface fluxes and setting boundary conditions for ocean circulation. Tools like CICE and its modular counterpart ICEPACK provide detailed frameworks for simulating ice growth, melt, ridging, and drift, and are widely used in coupled ocean–ice models.
Meanwhile, vertical mixing remains a key uncertainty in ocean modeling, influencing stratification, turbulence, and tracer transport. One-dimensional turbulence models like GOTM (General Ocean Turbulence Model) offer flexible implementations of various turbulence closure schemes (e.g., KPP, GLS, Mellor-Yamada) and are often used for both stand-alone column simulations and as mixing modules within 3D models.
Together, cryosphere and mixing parameterizations form the backbone of physically consistent ocean simulations, especially in high-latitude and coastal environments where accurate boundary-layer processes are essential for capturing the ocean’s response to climatic forcing.