Surge motion of an ice floe in waves: comparison of a theoretical and an experimental model

A theoretical model and an experimental model of surge motions of an ice floe due to regular waves are presented. The theoretical model is a modified version of Morrison's equation, valid for small floating bodies. The experimental model is implemented in a wave basin at a scale 1:100, using a thin plastic disc to model the floe. The processed experimental data display a regime change in surge amplitude when the incident wavelength is approximately twice the floe diameter. It is shown that the theoretical model is accurate in the high-wavelength regime, but highly inaccurate in the lowwavelength regime.