Description of FIO-ESM version 2.1 and evaluation of its sea ice simulations

Abstract

To improve Arctic sea ice simulations by the First Institute of Oceanography–Earth System Model (FIO–ESM), the model version has been updated from FIO–ESM v2.0 to FIO–ESM v2.1 by upgrading its sea ice component from Los Alamos Sea–Ice Model (CICE) version 4.0 (CICE4.0) to CICE6.0, and improving the ice–ocean heat exchange process from a two–equation boundary condition parameterization to a more realistic three–equation boundary condition parameterization. Numerical experiments show that the underestimation of Arctic summer sea ice extent (SIE) in FIO–ESM v2.0 is significantly improved by the model enhancements. The root mean square error of the simulated Arctic September SIE during 1979–2014 is reduced from 2.9 million to 0.7 million km². Nevertheless, the biases of Antarctic SIE increase following the model version update. FIO–ESM v2.1 performs well for the simulations of surface air temperature, sea surface temperature, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and Arctic SIE; however, it overestimates summer SIE in the Antarctic. Furthermore, future projections based on FIO–ESM v2.1 indicate that the first ice–free Arctic summer will occur in the 2050s and the 2040s under SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5, respectively.