GRAVITY-WAVES ON ICE-COVERED WATER

Gravity waves propagating on the surface of ice-covered water of finit e depth are considered. The ice layer is viewed as a suspension, with an effective viscosity much greater than that of water and a density s lightly less than that of water. It is treated as a viscous liquid, an d the water beneath it is treated as an inviscid liquid. The linearize d motion of gravity waves is analyzed for this two-layer model, and th e dispersion equation is obtained. It is solved numerically for waves of any length. It is also simplified for waves short compared to the l ayer thickness and for waves long compared to the layer thickness. Thi s equation yields dispersion and strong attenuation, both of which dep end upon the effective viscosity of the suspension.