The Climate System Model (CSM) developed at the National Center for
Atmospheric Research (NCAR) consists of atmosphere, land and ocean models,
as well as a dynamic-thermodynamic sea-ice model. The results of sea-ice
simulation using the first coupled climate simulation with the CSM is
presented. It was found that the simulated total-ice areas in both
hemispheres compared well with observations for winter, but were too large
for summer. The numerical solution of the cavitating fluid dynamics was
found to allow excessive ridging of ice, and an ad hoc correction was
implemented. The ice velocities were realistic for the Antarctic, but for
the Arctic were turned toward Alaska and Siberia by modeled winds and
currents. This ice-drift pattern was reflected by ice thickness, which lacks
the observed ridging near Greenland. The results illustrate the sensitivity
of sea ice to the simulation of polar climate and the challenge of modeling
the entire climate system.