A Scaling for Wave Dispersion Relationships in Ice-Covered Waters

We consider the scaling of dispersion relationships for wave propagation on ice-covered waters, aiming to identify a set of parameters that are physically meaningful and can be used in various continuum-based theories. These parameters characterize the relative importance of the effects of ice inertia, effective viscosity, and elasticity, hence can be used to guide the dynamic similarity between different scales. Application to laboratory and field measurements shows scale collapse of data sets toward a general trend. From the dimensionless parameters of the theoretical prediction, the effective ice properties can be estimated more consistently.