Evaluating the E3SMv2-MPAS ocean–sea ice coupled unstructured model in the Arctic: Atlantification processes and systematic biases

Advancing high-resolution Arctic ocean–sea ice modeling is critical for understanding polar amplification and improving climate projections but faces challenges from computational limits and cross-scale interactions. The simulation capabilities of the ocean–sea ice coupled model (E3SMv2-MPAS) from the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) 2.1 for the Arctic ocean–sea ice system are systematically evaluated using multi-source observational data. The model employs a latitudinally varying mesh, with resolution increasing from 60 km in the Southern Hemisphere to 10 km in the Arctic. This design balances computational efficiency with the accurate integration of low-latitude oceanic influences, while the unstructured mesh also enhances the geometric representation of Arctic straits. Together, these features form a simulation framework capable of resolving processes from seasonal to decadal timescales. Numerical results demonstrate E3SMv2-MPAS's superior Arctic simulation performance: (1) accurate reproduction of spatial heterogeneity in sea ice concentration, thickness, and sea surface temperature, including their 1995–2020 trend patterns; (2) faithful reproduction of both the freshwater content and transports through key Arctic gateways; (3) successful reconstruction of three-dimensional thermohaline structures within the Atlantic Water layer, capturing Atlantic Water's decadal warming trends and accelerated Atlantification processes – specifically mid-layer shoaling, heat content amplification, and reduced heat transfer lag times in the Eurasian Basin. Persistent systematic biases are identified: 0.5–1 m sea ice thickness overestimation in the Canadian Basin; Coordinated sea surface temperature/salinity underestimation and sea ice concentration overestimation in the Greenland and Barents Seas; Atlantic Water core temperature overestimation; Regional asymmetries in decadal thermohaline field evolution.