  We present a study of the single spin flip stochastic dynamics of the two
dimensional sixteen vertex model. We single out several dynamic regimes
controlled by different processes that we describe. We analyse the emergence of
very long-lived metastable states and their dependence on the system size,
boundary conditions, and working parameters. We investigate the coarsening
process after quenches into the ordered ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic
phases. We discuss our results in the context of artificial spin ice on square
lattices.
