Wave attenuation in sea ice ($a(x)=a_0{e}^{-\alpha x}$)

Wave attenuation is a reduction of a chosen wave component as it travels through sea ice. An amplitude coefficient $\alpha$ corresponds to an energy coefficient $2\alpha$. Wave scattering at a planar interface can remove energy from the forward wave without dissipating total energy; viscous dissipation, collisions and internal ice losses irreversibly convert mechanical energy to heat.

Interfaces between ice floes and open water reflect and redirect surface gravity waves. The effective attenuation depends on floe thickness, diameter, spatial arrangement and wave period. For very small diameter relative to wavelength, a floe responds nearly with the water and scatters weakly. Individual-floe interference and the number of interfaces per unit distance prevent a universal monotonic diameter law.