Simultaneous parameter optimization of an Arctic sea ice ocean model by a genetic algorithm

AbstractImprovement and optimization of numerical sea ice models are of great relevance for understanding the role of sea ice in the climate system. They are also a prerequisite for meaningful prediction. To improve the simulated sea ice properties, we develop an objective parameter optimization system for a coupled sea ice-ocean model based on a genetic algorithm. To take the interrelation of dynamic and thermodynamic model parameters into account, the system is set up to optimize 15 model parameters simultaneously. The optimization is minimizing a cost function composed of the model-observation misfit of three sea ice quantities (concentration, drift and thickness). The system is applied for a domain covering the entire Arctic and northern North Atlantic Ocean with an optimization window of about two decades (1990 - 2012). It successfully improves the simulated sea ice properties not only during the period of optimization but also in a validation period (2013 - 2016). The similarity of the final values ...